February 27th, 2009
On yesterday’s Morning Edition, NPR broadcasted “Cezanne’s Shadow: A Master’s Influence Lingers.” The story investigates the long-lasting influence of the French painter, which is the theme of Cezanne and Beyond, the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s current exhibition.
The Cezanne exhibition displays some works borrowed from the St. Louis Art Museum as well as works by Ellsworth Kelly, who as most of you readers know, has a permanent piece (Blue Black) displayed in the Pulitzer’s Main Gallery. On the Morning Edition show, you can hear Kelly express his respect for Paul Cezanne’s work.
Also, the Pulitzer would like to brag that its previous curatorial assistant, Camran Mani, is now a curatorial assistant for the Philadelphia Museum of Art and worked on Cezanne and Beyond.
February 27th, 2009
Representative Rachel Storch, a member of the Missouri Arts Council, gives tips on grassroots advocacy.
1. Stay Informed on the Issues – The Missouri House and Senate convene for the regular legislative session every year between January and May. During this time, the Legislature is making important decisions on legislation that may have a direct impact on you and your organization. You can’t lobby what you don’t know! Stay abreast of the issues through the local media.
2. Get Personally Acquainted with Your Legislators – Make it your business to become personally acquainted with your senator and representative. Take a sincere interest in them and get to know their political philosophies. You should also identify the legislators who may have extra impact on your issues (for arts supporters, this often means the members of the Budget Committee!). Focus on these legislators and your own legislators first.
3. Get on Your Legislator’s Mailing List – Then you will receive newsletters and other communications from your legislator’s office.
4. Express Yourself – Surprisingly few people ever contact their legislators. This reluctance usually results from the belief that legislators have no time or inclination to answer their phones or read their mail, and that one single contact won’t make any difference anyway. In most cases, these views are wrong. Thoughtful, factual, persuasive contacts can change legislators’ minds and cause them to review their positions. Be sure to have accurate facts and good arguments about any issues you discuss with your legislators. Make sure you understand the particular bill in question.
5. Use the Local Media – Schedule meetings with the editorial board members or staff of your local newspaper to discuss legislative issues and positions. Schedule sessions on local television and radio shows to discuss the legislative issues and the impact to your city. Invite your legislators to participate in this event. Read the rest of this entry »
February 25th, 2009
Why should the government spend tax dollars on art programs? What are key points we can cover when talking to policy-makers?
I asked Erin Brumleve, an art therapist and artist, to share her thoughts on why the arts deserve funding. Here is what she wrote:
“As an artist and art therapist, my view is that the arts are a keystone of well-being for both individuals and society at large.
“Research has shown that youth-based art initiatives can serve as a means of educational and constructive activity and can even teach skills necessary for gainful employment, as well as serve as a preventative measures in deterring crime–especially among at-risk youth, who may identify with the plight of the ‘bohemian artist struggling to be heard.’
“At the same time, it would be a mistake to conceptualize art-making as only providing benefits for children. One of my favorite blogs on Psychology Today is by Michelle and Robert Root – Bernstein’s ‘Imagine That.’
“The Bersteins examine the interplay of creativity and imagination as applied across the arts and sciences. In a recent post, they enumerate, far more eloquently than I can here, about how leaving arts funding out of any economic stimulus package could actually impede innovation and economic growth in our country. They cite several well-known physicians and scientists who were painters as well!
Click here, to read the article”
Photo taken from The Art2Healing Project.
February 24th, 2009
I’ve been meaning to link to this article for awhile now, and the Contemporary’s recent post about the deletion of their Facebook profile (that happened to us too!) reminded me. Courtesy of Kimberly at WUSTL’s Kemper Art Museum, this article helped clarify some of the confusion I had about what to use when if you’re representing an institution on Facebook, as well as some pitfalls to keep in mind. Check it out here.
February 18th, 2009
Photo taken from “Way to Go Go (The Tao of the Pink Slip)”
Don’t let this happen to you or your friends. You can support the arts:
1. Talk to your representatives and local officials. Most of the time we are more aware of what is going on politically on the federal level, but choices of aldermen have a relevant effect on our neighborhoods and way of life.
2. Become a member of Missouri Citizens for the Arts and stay informed on state policy. Then spread the word.
3. Become a member of your favorite art institutions, like the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis or St. Louis Art Museum. You can enjoy the perks of being a member and also help ensure the continuation of quality programs.
4. Attend art events. If you’re reading this blog, art is probably already an important aspect of your life, but if you want to read about some upcoming events, click here.
5. Volunteer. In these difficult economic times, people can’t be hired for every position in arts organizations and extra help is needed. Plus, volunteering can be fun!
6. Hold a fundraiser (or a bake sale).
Other resources:
Missouri Senate Legislator Lookup
Americans for the Arts
How the United States Funds the Arts
Missouri Arts Council
Missouri Association of Community Agencies
February 17th, 2009
The concert on Jaunary 28, 2009, at the Pulitzer was of Gubaidulina, Stockhausen, and Birtwistle.
A meditation, a good-bye, a marriage
“IMAGE”
Old houses were scaffolding once
and workmen whistling.
-T.E. Hulme
The spirit of Johann Sebastian Bach was roused from a 259- year sleep by three contemporary arrangements chosen by conductor and seeming clairvoyant, David Robertson. In the beginning, a meditation constructed from: foghorn cello, tugboat double bass, suspense filled violins and viola, and a harpsichord that sounds like an electrified screen door. The violins fluttered with tense wings while the cello and double bass moaned in agony. Harpsichord punctuated each passage of Gubaidulina’s soundtrack to Gethsemane. Its conclusion gave one last flicker of light before subsiding into darkness. I found struggle within this piece, not from the musicians but rather the mood. It flailed about beautifully and shrieked sweetly through clinched teeth.
Read the rest of this entry »
February 16th, 2009
As delegates for the Pulitzer, practicum student Claire Wolff, local artist Courtney Henson, and I drove to Jefferson City last Wednesday, February 11. It was Missouri Citizens for the Arts’ (MCA) “Citizens’ Day at the Legislature,” a day in which Missourians were encouraged by the MCA to join them at the capitol and talk to Congress about funding the arts.
Read the rest of this entry »
February 10th, 2009
My coworker Elise was looking through old photos taken of the neighborhood during the construction of the Pulitzer building, and came across a photo of the Spring Avenue Church – roof intact! The church burned in early 2001, before the Pulitzer opened. Here it is, pre-2001:
Here’s another image she came across – the church immediately after the fire:
And here it is last year during The Light Project,when the roof was recreated with donated lamps as a part of the artwork CHORUS:
Click here for a refresher on the church, its history, the neighborhood, and CHORUS.
February 4th, 2009
Is opening Google Reader each morning as overwhelming to you as it is to me? I feel like it’s almost impossible to stay current with all of the blogs I want to read (and if yours isn’t out of control, how do you do it?! Teach me your ways!). However, in between panic attacks and marking posts as “keep unread” for later, there are a few that I never miss. One of my current favorites: Eyeteeth (also one of my favorite blog names). Written by Paul Schmelzer (a former editor of the Walker Art Center’s blogs) his posts are always humorous, insightful, or both.
We’re also updating our sadly out-of-date blogroll over the next few days. Do you have any must-reads we should include? Add them in the comments!
February 2nd, 2009
As a way to generate interaction with our PFA Myspace/Facebook pages, I’ve been asking people to email me photos and drawings made from Pulitzer visits, to put in albums currently titled “Visitors’ Images.” This is so average guests can showcase their creativity and have a visual discussion of what they see at the Pulitzer.
Today is the opening at this online gallery. Here is some of what is being exhibited:
If you have something you would like to submit, you can email it to me at web@pulitzerarts.org.
