I have been working as a Gallery Assistant at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts for a little over a month now, and the experience has been remarkable. My first visit to the Pulitzer was at the behest of a Tadao Ando enthusiast and part-time art historian; I spent a great deal of time marveling at the modern and elegant design that Ando so beautifully conceived. Later that month, I returned for Ideal (Dis-) Placements and was hooked.

I feel fortunate to have begun my tenure along with the wonderful stylus by Ann Hamilton. It has been fun showing visitors how to interact with the space. The touch pad at the front entrance always draws a curious smile when I ask visitors to sign their name and wait to hear what happens. Delight is often the next reaction.

Ann Hamilton’s stylus is less an installation than a visual and aural experience. Hamilton has truly animated the Pulitzer and done so with particular attention to the space. Each station in the installation coheres precisely to its location; the jumping beans on the Mezzanine wriggle around from the heat of the sun that shines so brightly through the second floor windows. The jumping beans elicit the greatest number of questions: What are these? Why do they move? After a month I feel like I have graduated from novice to near expert on the genus Sebastiania.

As a gallery assistant, I spend a lot of time thinking about the interplay of the space and the installation, but I also engage with visitors and help answer/pose questions. Some of my favorite visitors have been children. They are always astounded that they are allowed to “play” (albeit gently) in the space. They love donning the paper hands in the Main Gallery and rolling the balls on the steel table à la the old Labyrinth game. Then again, everyone seems to like the rolling table. In a short time, I’ve encountered a myriad of visitors: engineer sisters from Houston, museum owners from Kansas, freelance art critics, and very happy five year-olds.

The most transportive part of the installation, for me, has been the “talking piano” in the Cube Gallery. It is hooked up to the other piano in the Lower Gallery and responds to visitors signing in or speaking into the microphone in the Main Gallery. Recently, two young art students told me they had traveled from Kentucky for this installation and one then proceeded to play a long and beautiful song. His playing combined with the other layers of sound that echo throughout the space created an otherworldly experience.

As stylus continues its residency, I continue to appreciate the nuances of the work and its intimate connection to the Pulitzer space.  I look forward to helping others enjoy and engage in Ann Hamilton’s wonderfully creative and interactive exhibition.