A view of the back of the Pulitzer building, with trees in bloom:

That’s right - we have two, count them two, (well actually 3) internship openings for this summer. One is a web communications internship, and the second is community engagement (we’re looking for two interns for this position).  Interested?  Click here for more info.

The Pulitzer consists of a very small staff - about 10 of us to be exact.  A phrase we’ve been hearing a lot lately is that we’re in a “growth process”, which means not only the addition of a lot of new projects, but also new staff members to help make it happen.  Within the last 6 months, we’ve hired Lauren and Lisa.  We’ve now just posted a job description to hire one more.  The title is “Project Curator”, and the description is pretty fascinating - it gives a little glimpse into what’s to come around here.  If you’re interested, click here for more info.

It takes exactly two people to form an official “department,” and that is precisely what the Registrarial Department of the Pulitzer is composed of: one Registrar (Helene) and one Assistant Registrar (Elise). Exciting plans are in the works, as construction is underway to build a new office so we can finally work together in the same space.

The new site was formerly a room used for storing office supplies and files, and will be the perfect size for our department of two to plot all of the exhibition installations (amongst numerous other duties). At present, however, the space seems less than desirable, as is evidenced by these images showing the empty, floorless room:

Stay tuned for the “after” images of the shiny new office space, coming (hopefully) in the next few weeks . . .

Yesterday we got blasted (again) with a huge snow storm in St. Louis.  Which meant a shortened work day for a lot of us around here.  But before heading out, Lisa and Camran trekked out to the courtyard to check out Joe in the snow.  They got some amazing pics - I thought I’d share a few of these with you today:

At a meeting this week with other arts institutions in St. Louis, a question was raised about how we all measure and evaluate visitor statistics. Do we use surveys? In the galleries or over email? Do gallery assistants ask questions and record them? Do visitors seemed bothered by any of the above? And what are the useful questions to ask anyway?

Visitor experience is more important than visitor numbers here at the Pulitzer, and I know that Lisa and Tim are both currently trying to determine the best way to measure this.  Actually, I think I might make them write a post about this soon…. As a visitor, how do you feel about surveys?  And if you’re someone at a museum who creates surveys, what kind of information do you include?

Last week, I wrote about how all the staff at the Pulitzer was busy cleaning their offices and I teased that I would tell you the reason why. Well, here it is - we were paid a visit by the man second from the left in this photo (click to enlarge):

That’s Tadao Ando, the architect of our building, in a group photo with those who were involved. Steve Morby, on the far left, was the Project Superintendent and is currently our Facilities Manager. On the other side of Ando is Peter Clarkson, (the Construction Manager), Emily Rauh Pulitzer (Founder), Bill Wischmeyer (Architect of Record) and Masataka Yano (of Tadao Ando and Associates).

It was Ando’s first visit to the Pulitzer since we opened in 2001, so we all wanted to make sure our offices looked as clean and pristine as they did back then (though the office set-up and size of our staff has changed dramatically since then). Everyone was organizing - which either meant actually filing away papers, or throwing them frantically in drawers, depending on who you are…

I’ll get more information on his visit soon, but things I’ve heard so far are a) he loved the way the building looked with the Flavin exhibition and b) they discussed the possibility of outdoor signage and cushions for the stairs during concerts. The issue of a sign for the building exterior is particularly interesting…I’ll let you know how that conversation went as soon as I get more details.

Yesterday, everyone seemed to be busy straightening up their offices. Some (cough cough) took longer than others…hence the day-late blog post…more on why we were busy cleaning up later.

Also, if you haven’t read about this yet - Robert Smithson’s earthwork Spiral Jetty is in danger. Click here to read about it and how you can help. I visited the Spiral Jetty in 2006, and it was one of the most memorable places I’ve ever been. Read my blog posts about it here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

My name is Lauren and I started working for the Pulitzer in November of ‘07. I am Matthias Waschek’s new assistant and I will also be coordinating events for the Foundation.

I’ve been asked the same question over and over by all of my friends and family during the holidays: “How’s the new job?” Well, my response has been steadfast: I LOVE working for the Pulitzer Foundation.

This may sound too jubilant for some of you but I can’t help it, it’s true! The positive aspects of my job are too many to mention in this short amount of space, so I’ll just name some of the biggies (in no particular order).

1. I get to see amazing artwork everyday. For example, when I look outside my office window, I’m looking at the inspiring Richard Serra creation: “Joe.” Not a bad background to have while I’m clicking away on my keyboard.

2. Working closely with Matthias, I get to see how the whole process of creating an exhibition takes place – how exhibition themes emerge, how artwork is selected, how we go about securing loans, etc. To a regular museum goer, for the most part, none of these things are known and yet I feel having the knowledge gives more weight to the exhibition and makes the experience stronger for me.

3. I am surrounded by fantastic artistic minds. Granted, I’m scared to strike up intelligent artistic conversations, but, for instance, during our last symposium, I picked up Achim Borchardt-Hume (Curator for Tate Modern in London) in my slightly messy vehicle and took him to his hotel. All I did was point out some local landmarks and the trip was over, but still, he was sitting in the passenger seat of my car! It’s just so glamorous to me, and I can’t help but think: “Who’s next, Jasper Johns?”!

I admit, maybe I’m foolishly star struck, but being around artwork and people who hail from the top art institutions around the world – I could be eating garbage off our kitchen’s floor and I think I would still love it - not that I’m comparing my job to eating garbage off of the floor - far from it! Keeping Matthias’s creative mind organized is very satisfying to me because I know it allows him to produce great things and I like being a part of that in my own way. Someone else might bring up the point that I could get this experience at any museum but I would then bring up my final point:

4. The Pulitzer staff is fantastic. Everyone works as one happy, helpful unit to get things done and I think in any profession, that is a rare gift.

Okay reader, you can grab your trash can now if you feel the ole gag reflex acting up, I’m finished with my glowing review. It’s time for me to get back to work! If Rachel will let me, I’ll post again if I have anything of import to share.

For your Friday Morning Viewing Pleasure:  the first of three “Flavin install videos” is now on our homepage.

Each video will be launched during a week that we’re closed for installation and will lead up to the exhibition opening on February 1st. The videos will let you watch what’s happening at each phase of the installation process.

Video One showcases an integral part of the Flavin exhibition - the Pulitzer building and the light that pours in through the extra-large windows.  The interaction between the natural light in the galleries and Flavin’s fluorescent lights is a key component of the exhibition.  The video focuses on how these windows were planned, installed, and the effect they have on the building.

Next week, Video Two will touch on the de-installation of artworks you’ve seen here for quite some time (teaser), and in the following week, Video Three will show the actual installation of the Flavin works.  Enjoy!