I'm currently in a self-diagnosed professional existential crisis, which is not surprising given the phase of program we're currently in...sort of like being on a plane in-line to take off after waiting on the tarmac for hours. In the back of my mind, I know that the hands-on work will begin in earnest, but in the meantime, that means I have too much time to think and continue to plan for the next exhibition. A wise man once told me, sometimes, the best thing you can do is sit back and wait, and this is definitely one of those times.So, back to the too much time thinking and the professional existential crisis...I find myself reflecting on the past six months and am realizing that I'm feeling somewhat removed from what originally brought me to this unique position. In a sense, I feel as if I've lost the social work side of the community engagement, so in the next few blogs, I plan to address this point by point in hopes that you might have thoughts, advice, and reflections that will ultimately help me find my way back to my core mission.

Point One: Evaluation.  Are we making an impact with what we do, and how do we measure that impact? One of the primary reasons for the merging of the applied social sciences and the arts is to further develop and refine the use of evaluation in community programs implemented by cultural institutions. There are a few sources out there that provide a framework for the discussion, one of which being Gifts of the Muse, a report released by the Rand Corporation in 2004 that proposes approaching the discussion about the benefits of the arts from a different perspective. The same tools, methods, and challenges are faced by social service providers, as they seek to justify the relevance and effectiveness of their work. While there are easily quantifiable measures of success, the qualitative effects of programs are more difficult to firmly grasp. Add to that the difficulty of proving causality, bias, and other perils of human subjects-based research, it becomes all too easy to lose yourself in a land of meaningless data collected through ineffective measures. I'm sure this won't be the last time I blog about this, and the issues of effective evaluation are weighing heavily upon my mind at the moment. Do you have any ideas on what a good measure of impact of the arts might look like? If so, I'd love to hear them. Then we can get down to a discussion about methodology, instrumentation, and implementation.

Last Thursday - since it was the first Thursday of the month - the Pulitzer was open from 6-9pm so visitors could view the Flavin works at night.  My parents and grandmother came out for dinner (at Hodaks! Another St. Louis must-visit, if you're unfamiliar) and to see the exhibition.

It was really nice outside, so we went out on the watercourt patio to enjoy it for a little bit.  The colors bouncing off the water were so incredible, I had to run to my office and grab the camera and take a picture.  As with most photographs of Flavin, the picture doesn't do it justice - but I wanted to post it anyway:

It seems like the "re-creation" of Dan Flavin's 1964 Green Gallery show now at Zwirner & Wirth is on the mind of half the critics in New York. In the weeks since the Village Voice reviewed the exhibition, it has been written up in the New York Times and New York Magazine.

The Zwirner & Wirth show was also a major topic at the Pulitzer's recent Flavin symposium for graduate students and their professors. Most of the participants felt, like Jerry Saltz, that Z&W should be thanked for allowing Flavin enthusiasts a chance to step back in time. I agreed. But this discussion also brought us to a key fact, which reviewers seems to keep overlooking:

the show only follows the original checklist, not the original installation!

Just compare the installation photos of a primary picture at the top of Saltz's article. By departing from the original installation plan, Zwirner implicitly denies one of the most radical, if latent, innovations of the Green Gallery show (Flavin's first show using only fluorescent light): "situational" art -- the dissolution of discrete objects into an experiential field.

Of course, by straying from the particulars of the Green Gallery installation Zwirner also prevents the show from being one giant representation. And what 's more in the spirit of Dan Flavin than keeping works like a primary picture obstinately, ironically abstract?

In connection to Maria's post today about Google Earth, I also have a weakness for looking up places.  You can really get sucked in, exploring areas, finding your childhood home, etc.  Also on Google Maps (speaking of, something I only recently tried out because it's not up and running in St. Louis - have you used the Street View option yet? It's crazy! Click here and try it on the Art Institute of Chicago).

I'm glad to see Google Earth is updated with our current buildings at the Contemporary and the Pulitzer - I think the last time I checked us out on Google maps, it showed the Contemporary still under construction! It's fun to look at Joe from that view....awhile ago, I wrote a post about Twain downtown too, which is pretty interesting to view from that angle as well. Take a look here.

Last week, Tyler Green posted some suggestions for museum blogs, which is always nice to read - it's important to take a step back every once in awhile and give your blog a good hard look. And his posts came at a perfect time - Maria (on the Contemporary's side of the blog) and I already had a meeting scheduled to discuss some new ideas. Tyler's suggestions reinforced exactly what we were thinking.One thing we often hear that people like about our blog is the fact that we're two very different institutions contributing posts on the same page. It gives readers a chance to see the differences and similarities in our approaches to art and museum-related topics. We thought it would make sense to highlight this even more - so cue a new series of posts we decided to call "Two Takes One Issue" (get it? two buildings one blog? We're also really clever around here...).

This series will take a certain issue, news article, administrative approach, curatorial practice, what-have-you, and have someone related to that issue at each of our institutions write about it from their perspective. We're hoping it will not only emphasize our unique qualities, but also raise questions and start conversations. Expect the first posts coming soon....and let us know if there's a topic you'd like us to address!

Tonight is the opening of John Armleder and Olivier Mosset. The public reception starts at 7:00 pm, but there is a Member Preview at 6:00 pm and a Patrons Preview at 5:00 pm. In just a little bit the entire staff and all of the docents and gallery attendants will take a walk through the exhibition with the curator. It is definitely a great experience for guests who come to Opening Nights, because they too will get to experience what the staff does on the walk through - access to the curator, director, staff members and artists...a chance to ask questions and to really get an idea of what the exhibition is all about. I highly recommend Openings!

Opening Night is in two days, and we are still working hard. Yesterday, Olivier Mosset was in the museum all day working on installation and meeting with Chief Curator Anthony Huberman. I stepped out of the office for a few moments to check out the progress of the wall (which I have a perfect view of from the balcony right outside the offices), and I head Mosset say "it's done" as he threw up his hands, then shared a clap with some assistants, then sat on our concrete step for reflection...so "it's done!"

Over the past couple months I've been doing some work on the museum's MySpace page and I have also created a Facebook profile and group. I am finding that there are so many things an organization can do with these two online communication tools. We currently use both to network with other organizations and individuals in the art world or who have interest in art or museums, to spread word to people about upcoming events at the museum (on Facebook we can even create event pages allowing people to write on the discussion board to ask questions or leave comments), and to share photographs and videos from events, programs, and exhibitions. These are also great places for us to compile all of the museums online communication tools in one place. And since the individuals who are signing up to be a part of our network are artists, art organizations, or have interest in art, these pages are also good for artists or event planners to get word out about their art or art happenings. If you'd like to take a look at the pages click here for MySpace or here for Facebook.

The toblerones have arrived.

In the upcoming exhibition, John Armleder and Oliver Mosset, Mosset will present an ambitious installation of Toblerones... sculptures based on anti-tank obstacles used by the Swiss army in World War II. The toblerones in this exhibition are cardboard replicas, something made possible by our friends at Boxes Inc. Once they are all put together (there are 30 of them), they will stand around six feet tall and completely take over one of our gallery spaces. So, not only will a viewer be trying to digest what they are staring at initially, they will also have to try to figure out how they are supposed to deal with this and may have questions in their mind such as "do I walk through these large sculptures," "am I supposed to just stand here and look at them," "why are these massive sculptures blocking the paintings on the other side?" It will allow people to undergo a complete art experience, probably entailing confusion and wonderment. 

Check out this article in the St. Louis Business Journal. If you are interested in further information on toblerones, click here.

We are also in the process of installing Armleder's wallpaper and if you are interested on a giant wall update...it is now bright orange.

 To most of you Google Earth is probably old news. It is to me. But when I first found out about it I spent lots of time "driving" along local streets, stopping at places I normally go and searching for my bright yellow car (I found it, it was great!). After receiving an email with a photo of the Contemporary from the sky from our Exhibitions Manager, Shane (the one with the 2 year old who rocks out in his car seat...check out the music section on our MySpace page for more on that), I realized that it's been too long since I have searched for the bird's eye view of landmarks throughout the world.

If you haven't yet "played with" Google Earth, check it out! And if you have, but forgot all about, I suggest another visit. Thanks, Shane, for reminding me of this addicting "fly anywhere" fun.