Here’s a shot of Robert Longyear sitting in his installation for Urban Evolution, discussing his work with visitors last Saturday. His friend Dickson Beall recorded a couple snippets of him describing working with kids at Craft Alliance, which you can view here.

This Saturday, May 29, at 1pm, Robert will continue the conversation and read his thought-provoking written piece “Seven Ten Split.” The talk will be held again at the exhibition, in the Woolworth Building (501 North Grand in Grand Center). As usual, there’s no admission fee. Just bring your curious minds and be prepared to look at bowling balls in a whole different light.

From Robert:

“We’re daring to be operatic, like maybe it’s time for us to address critically the fate of our neighborhoods – and if we’re going to be operatic about it -and if this is all about a principled response to the wider world, we all need a foundation.

Remember, there’s a bureaucracy to opposable thumbs.”

In our video recap of the Transformation Project Walk, Katy Mike Smaistrla, Education and Volunteer Coordinator at Earthways Center, explains the structure above, which a Construction Careers Center shop class built as part of their workshop with the Pulitzer, Earthways Center and the Lawrence Group. Last Thursday, the program, which was inspired by the Garbage Wall and formulated to teach sustainable design, drew to a close.

For the final session, representatives from the partnering organizations met with the students in their computer lab to discuss what was accomplished over the past few months. Everyone sat in a circle and took turns explaining what they learned. Afterwards, the class filled out surveys on the computers, as I pulled a few students out into the hallway for some digital feedback. Here is what those students had to say: Read the rest of this entry »

On May 15, the Pulitzer celebrated the culmination of Transformation with an art walk that showcased the work of each program. In the video above, visitors, participants and organizers talk about the different programs and locations for the Transformation Project Walk.

The Transformation Project Walk sites will be on view until June 5, as the Pulitzer staff prepares for a final Urban Alchemy event. Perhaps after that, we’ll have time to process the assorted layers of the T-series and all that happened during the Walk. As a Pulitzer camerawoman (we use a Flip), I try to focus on perspectives and moments that expose some of the big picture of events, some of which don’t always make it into footage. As I followed the site map on May 15, I saw a range of reactions. Here are a couple of times that stood out to me: Read the rest of this entry »

Juan William Chávez comments on Gordon Matta-Clark’s father, Roberto Matta, and one of Matta-Clark’s works in the exhibition Urban Alchemy/Gordon Matta-Clark.

For May’s Frame of Reference, Juan Chávez, an artist and the director of Boots Contemporary Art Space, examined Gordon Matta-Clark’s A W-Hole House: Roof Top Atrium. As a panelist for “The City as Studio” and curator of Theaster Gates’ exhibition Dry Bones and Other Parables from the North, Juan has greatly contributed to Pulitzer activities in the last few months. You can read his post on the Urban Expression blog, which explains what he thinks of “the power of art.”

Frame of Reference is a series of in-gallery discussions on the first Saturday of every month. The Pulitzer tailors each set of speakers to engage visitors in conversation and to provide a range of perspectives on the art being displayed. The last Frame of Reference for Urban Alchemy will be June 5.

As we’ve said before, part of the Pulitzer’s identity is that it doesn’t have labels for the artwork, however for the next three weeks, the Ando building will boldly declare its address in neon, as part of 2010 Whitney Biennial winner Theaster Gates’ exhibition Dry Bones and Other Parables from the North.

Dry Bones will open this Saturday along with three projects during the Transformation Project Walk. In case you haven’t been reading the news or listening to St. Louis Public Radio, the Walk will be a big bash that concludes all of the community programming we’ve worked on throughout the Matta-Clark exhibition. Similar in scope to The Light Project, the Walk will be one of those special events that encourages all of St. Louis to explore the Grand Center neighborhood and experience each unique project site.

This Saturday, May 15, from 3-7pm, the Pulitzer will provide a shuttle and trolley service to those who want to see what Transformation has accomplished this spring. Each stop will exhibit inspired works by program participants, which are sure to demonstrate how art can affect social change and further conversation on the St. Louis urban landscape. For a full description of the event and programs, visit this page.

Robert Longyear talks about the chairs in his installation and how they relate to the theme of “congregation.” Like Gordon Matta-Clark, who used titles like “A W-Hole House” and “Reality Properties / Fake Estates,” Robert also incorporates word play into his artwork. For more information on his project visit the Urban Evolution blog.