I'm back in the office today, but still a little fuzzy from the extended vacation (I think I'm recovering from cookie overload...sugar crash...).   So today, here are a few links I wanted to share: David Bonetti includes us in his year-end best of list (Flavin, The Light Project, and Old Masters all included!) and Seattle's The Stranger's Jen Graves gives our Old Masters exhibition a nice shout-out.  Speaking of Seattle, don't miss this must-read article about the sad state of arts journalism.

Coming this week:  Jason, one of our gallery assistants, wrote a beautiful post about his experience watching the Messiaen concert last month.  Amy will also be writing about a tour Matthias gave to the gallery assistants where they addressed various questions they've encountered so far in the galleries.  Stay tuned!

For the rest of the year, the Pulitzer's side of the blog will be on a lesser (i.e. vacation!) posting schedule.  Happy Holidays!

Yesterday evening, in the spirit of season, Molly Morkoski performed French composer Olivier Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus (twenty contemplations on the infant Jesus). Before she began, Morkoski described studying this difficult, two-hour piece and expressed gratitude at the opportunity to perform it.

Molly Morkoski and Messiaen are mentioned in "Tis the Season 2," on the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra blog: http://www.slso.org/blog/

I've been meaning to link to this for awhile:  there was a great post by Merrily Kerr on Art:21 about the opportunity to stay the night in the Guggenheim as a part of artist Carsten Höller's work Revolving Hotel Room.  A chance to sleepover  - complete with a private exhibition tour, access throughout the museum, and a bedroom on rotating discs - sold out within a couple of hours.  But I loved living vicariously through some of the participants (Sliding down the circular ramps in your socks!).  Which museum would you like to have free reign of for a night?  And what would you do?

This is amazing on so many levels (via C-Monster). Hmm...I just put up a bulletin board in my office and it's looking a little bare...

In less than two days the Lutz Bacher: Spill and Aïda Rulovia: The Singles 1999-Now exhibition has almost completely been taken down. It always impresses me how quickly this process takes place. But that is what has to happen in order to get the next exhibition up within such a short time period. Our next show opens in a little over two weeks, on January 23...more to come on the next exhibition soon. As for now, take a look at what used to be the big yellow ramp taking over an entire gallery space and gallery attendants working hard to remove wall text. So much goes into this process.

On Saturday January 3, Assistant Curator Laura Fried will take visitors on a "Last Chance Tour." That is right, the Lutz Bacher: Spill and Aïda Ruilova: The Singles 1999 - Now exhibition is almost to an end. Can you believe it? Time flies. If you have a chance to come in and take one last look at the work, I recommend it. And if you can come on the day of the tour, you will be able to discuss any questions or comments you have had on this work through the time it has been on view here. If you are unable to come in, you can visit the artist web pages on the Contemporary's website to see installation images and read up on the exhibition.

In The Front Room, until Sunday, January 4, Meredith Malone (Assistant Curator at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis) presents a selection of works by artist M. Ho. Take a look at the video tour to see the type of work in which Ho creates. Visit the Contemporary's website to see more on M. Ho and her work. If you can hear the volume on the video tour, you are mostly hearing the sounds from the Lutz Bacher: Spill exhibition. I wonder how much the noise or ambiance around you impacts the way you view an exhibition? If there were no noise in the background when looking through this work would you view it differently?

   Last year at about this time I wrote about all of the places that Contemporary staff members were headed to for the holidays and then followed up by filling you in on any art related activities they got to do on their trips. Well this year, Kathryn, our Director of Education, went on trip to Taipei right before the holidays and is back now to tell us all about it. While there, she visited many cultural landmarks including Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, Taipei Fine Arts Museum , and Taipei 101.   

She also told us about how many people don't really celebrate Christmas there, but they still have Christmas cards and décor all over the city. And she is not sure exactly why, but on some of the cards and signs there is the phrase "Happy Moo Year" (she is thinking maybe it has to do with language confusion or possibly that upcoming year, beginning in February, is the year of the ox). It is incredible to hear all about her trip there and what different cultures are like, especially around the holidays.

Happy Holidays to everyone from the Contemporary and from Taipei!

Opening January 23 is the upcoming solo exhibition Gedi Sibony: My Hands Are Tied Behind My Other Arms. On the occasion of his exhibition here, there will be a catalogue produced-a monograph of his work-which will premier in St. Louis! It is currently being printed in Europe and will be here, available for the public to purchase in time for the opening. See the cover image of the cover below. Keep an eye out for further information.