by Courtney Henson, Visitor Services Manager

St. Louis Art Museum docents are amazing.  For two full years the dedicated group has been planning and coordinating a huge effort: Hosting the 2011 National Docent Symposium. Over the past three days, docents from national museums have been in St. Louis and taking notes on the volunteer programs at multiple institutions here. There were guest speakers who rallied the group and breakout sessions that delved into wide ranging topics on how to assist your institution with the visitor viewing experience. “Docent”, “volunteer”, “gallery educator”. These are just a few of the names given at various institutions to the people who volunteer their time to help guests experience art. The Pulitzer had the great honor to co-host a dinner with CAM for about 100 docents and to run a workshop highlighting our Exploring Art program. 

I learned that the bulk of the docents from all over the United States and Canada had backgrounds as educators. They were not always art teachers and certainly not even always a traditional teacher, but their passion for education led them to pursue docenting. It became very clear that the job of a docent has changed over the past ten years, but each docent’s personal desire to encourage learning has evolved his/her process for interaction in the galleries. There seems to be a direct move away from didactic tours that are directly scripted and instead to engage the guests in conversations about the work. This is the approach taken at the Pulitzer. 

For our current exhibition we are trying something a little different. We are bringing together Buddhist practitioners and our PFA docents on the Mezzanine on the third and fourth Saturday’s of the month for a couple of hours in the afternoon. In Exploring Buddhism and Art , there are two minds for our guests to pick, one with expertise on the culture of Buddhism and one with expertise on the art and architecture of the Pulitzer. 

In 2013, the National Docent Symposium will be held in California, and I personally look forward to investigating how that city and the gathered docents have evolved their styles at that time. It was a truly rewarding experience to explain the Pulitzer’s methods as well as share ideas from around the country

Theaster Gates and his students talk about Gate’s summer course through Washington University in St. Louis. During the class, students worked with Gates to rehab a house in Hyde Park and devise ways in which the house can be used as an arts hub for the neighborhood.

Community projects at the Pulitzer have always raised questions of sustainability. In understanding our institution’s ever-evolving role within the community arts of St. Louis, we are a catalyst, incubator, and (at our best moments) innovator. We work to enhance the already-impressive, effective, and inspiring work of our colleagues by bringing both the strengths of a cutting-edge arts institution dedicated to promoting the personal experience with all arts and social work practice. This means, however, that we are at risk of violating one of the founding principles of community practice by parachuting into a community then exiting quickly, without sustaining commitment to the communities with whom we worked. In principle, we are keenly aware of this and have attempted to balance our institutional identity with ethical community practice by forging partnerships with institutions that have the potential to carry the innovation forward. As this department is coming upon its fourth year, we are still in the process of learning what it means to “carry the innovation forward” and just how much continued support and involvement it might take from the “catalyst”.

Take Theaster Gates in Hyde Park for example. Theaster entered this community through our project, which was a collaboration between Holy Trinity Academy and Succeeding with Reading, a program that had existed at Holy Trinity Academy for a few years preceding Urban Expression, the Pulitzer-catalyzed program inspired by our exhibition, Urban Alchemy/Gordon Matta-Clark. He was captured by the community—particularly, the kids—and became committed to arts-infused community development in the neighborhood. While our exhibitions changed (and the programs with it), we were able to stay involved by co-sponsoring the CityStudioSTL (Somethingness: Ways of Seeing and Building) with the Sam Fox School of Visual Art and Design at Washington University in St. Louis. In so doing, we are figuring out our institution’s role in ensuring that Theaster’s commitment to Hyde Park (through Rebuild Foundation) has a better chance at success. It’s a work in progress, but the brilliant work of Theaster, his employees, and the students of this summer class have provided another huge step toward fulfilling the potential of a beautiful, if neglected neighborhood and doing so by forging partnerships between existing community members and those from the outside. We’ll keep you posted as his work evolves.

Regina Martinez and Emily Augsburger, from the Pulitzer’s Community Projects department, stand in front of The Heidelberg Project in Detroit, MI.

Two weeks ago we traveled to Detroit to attend the Rust Belt to Artist Belt III conference. The mission of the conference was “to create the foundation for a sustained dialogue that connects an entire creative supply chain; from creative practitioners such as individual artists and designers, to creative sector business owners, to advanced manufacturers and prototypers”. The mission alone piqued our interests, and once we glanced through the panel topics, we knew we had to go. The conference started two years ago in Cleveland, Ohio, a city also grappling with its post-industrial identity. The conference moved to Detroit as the city has some words to offer on the matter. As native St. Louisans, we have witnessed a similar identity struggle here. But as we learn to address the challenge and what it means to be a post-industrial city, we are provided an amazing opportunity for transformation.

Rust Belt to Artist Belt provided a framework in which we could view the myriad of issues facing rust belt cities and how these issues can be addressed by using the resources within the creative community.  As conference participants we were asked to re-think artists and the creative community by acknowledging their very active role in our future-making. We agree that artists play an essential role in the revitalization of landscapes and the vibrancy and cultural connectedness of a place. The conference, however, focused so heavily on building the creative community by calling for new individuals to cities, that we feel it did not fully recognize the creative assets already present. We must recognize, support and connect the creative assets already alive in our cities.

Individuals participating in a panel discussion entitled “The Power of Race in Placemaking and Community Development” shared our sentiments. Not only was this particular panel discussion vital to understanding a community, the conversation is key to many Rust Belt cities. We all have prejudices.  Art is a means of facilitating conversations and social issues that have destroyed and isolated us in the past.  Artists express, artists can be anyone, and art has the capacity to build bridges across all divides.  Art and life are not so separate, and it can be through our collaborative storytelling that we grow to greater connectedness and understanding of one another. 

By the end of the conference we were ready to come home. We had wanted more time in Detroit to see all it has to offer, but we needed to get back to St. Louis because we were inspired to write our city a good old fashioned love letter. The letter needs to come in the form of actions.  If we love on our city, it will thrive.  We are more than able to talk about all that ails our city and the potential remedies, but now is the time to do. It is time to stop talking about all the change that could happen. It is time to be the change.  St. Louis, we are yours. 

Love always,

Emily and Gina from Community Projects

This Saturday at 1pm, Bill Wischmeyer, Architect of Record for the Pulitzer building, will share his personal knowledge of Tadao Ando’s St. Louis achievement for the second Exploring Art: Dreamscapes and Ando’s Architecture. Last month, Emily Pulitzer explained her vision of the building and the realization of that dream. Pulitzer docent Francesca Wilmott recaps that discussion here:

Speaking in front of the reflecting pool, Emily Rauh Pulitzer shared the lively deliberations that occurred between her and Tadao Ando, as well as artists Richard Serra and Ellsworth Kelly, whose work was commissioned for the building. Unlike the commissioning process in the United States, Mrs. Pulitzer explained, Japanese architects do not traditionally involve clients in each stage of their planning. However, Mrs. Pulitzer held to her vision, and together, she and Ando developed an art sanctuary that fulfilled both their aesthetic and practical needs.

Tadao Ando has discussed the tensions that often accompany a collaborative process, noting that: “Working collaboratively with such uncompromising artists was incredibly demanding. However, the numerous changes and modifications made with each visit to the construction site have given the works a vitality and reality unique to this place. For me, the exciting collaboration with these artists has provided a rare and stimulating opportunity to reconsider the architecture and to rethink what it means to create.” Ando made one such modification upon viewing Richard Serra’s plan for Joe, the enormous Corten-steel sculpture that occupies the outdoor courtyard. Rather than constructing wide vertical windows along the wall that looks onto Joe, as initially planned, Ando felt that narrow horizontal windows would better frame the sculpture from within the building.

Not only is the Pulitzer Foundation a product of Emily Pulitzer and Tadao Ando’s visions, but each exhibition at the Pulitzer also poses a new opportunity for the curator to collaborate with the building itself. Senior curator Francesca Herndon-Consagra directly responded to the building when conceiving Dreamscapes. As viewers make their way through the exhibition, a number of images–boulders, telephones, stairways–pop up in unexpected places, just as familiar themes frequently appear in one’s dreams. In the entrance gallery, for instance, the large concrete column that supports the weight of the building, visually relates to the boulder that appears in René Magritte’s paintings, The Active Voice (1951) and The Invisible World (1954), and that reappears in Scott Burton’s Rock Settee (1988-1990) and Georg Baselitz’s painting, Landscape with Pathos (1970).

In Dreamscapes, Francesca Herndon-Consagra further punctuates spaces in the building that would typically serve as transitional zones. Citing Gertrude Stein’s notable quotation, Mrs. Pulitzer explained that unlike many buildings where “there’s no there there,” each space within the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts–whether a vestibule, corridor, or gallery–has a distinct character that directly relates to the overall design scheme of the building. Just as the grand staircase and the adjacent water pool conjure notions of a cascading waterfall, Kiki Smith’s sculpture, Pee Body (1992), on the landing of the staircase, evokes humiliating nightmares of finding oneself nude and incontinent in a public place. Furthermore, Janet Cardiff and Wolfgang Tillmans’s works are enhanced by their placement in the long ground-floor corridor. Isolating individuals from the activity of the central galleries, Herndon-Consagra utilizes the architecture of the narrow corridor to further accentuate foreboding sentiments already existent in the works. Throughout Dreamscapes, Herndon-Consagra plays upon Emily Pulitzer and Tadao Ando’s distinct visions, demonstrating the dynamic relationship between architecture and contemporary art today.

Mrs. Pulitzer’s presentation transported visitors through the past two decades, revealing how a dream that she shared with her late husband, Joseph Pulitzer III, has materialized and evolved since its early inception. Her discussion kicked off this season of the Pulitzer Foundation’s Exploring Art program. Usually led by docents, Exploring Art takes place on the third Saturday of each month at 1pm, pairing exhibition tours with a unique–and often offsite–program that expands upon the ideas of the exhibition. This season, Exploring Art has adopted a slightly different format. Rather than taking visitors beyond the perimeters of the Pulitzer Foundation, the tours explore how Ando’s building itself serves as a lens through which to interpret the themes in Dreamscapes.

Francesca Wilmott co-founded Los Caminos, an apartment gallery in St.
Louis’s Cherokee Street neighborhood. In May 2010, she earned a dual-masters degree in Modern Art History, Criticism and Theory, and Arts Administration and Policy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition to Los Caminos, she co-directed Concertina Gallery in Chicago and has organized exhibitions for the Hyde Park Art Center, Art on Track, and the GOFFO Art Fair.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Director Matthias Waschek explains why the Pulitzer doesn’t label the artwork in its galleries.

Over the summer, StudioSTL’s director, Beth Ketcher, read for A Marathon Metamorphoses and wrote on the event’s corresponding blog what she felt the marathon was about. Her attitude reflected a principle StudioSTL and the Pulitzer share: the arts are for everyone.

The goal of December’s workshop was not for the participants to produce refined art reviews but to get them to think comfortably, descriptively, analytically, and creatively by jotting down verbal sketches of what they saw in the galleries. Given optional cues in a worksheet, the young authors were asked to investigate the space, write down what they thought, and read their writing to everyone as a conclusion to the session.

Below, one of StudioSTL’s mentors reflects on the workshop.

Paula Davis is an Engineering student at Washington University and a mentor for StudioSTL.

On the twelfth day of the twelfth month, a few young writers–high school students–and a number of volunteers from StudioSTL, sat holding gray pamphlets, on the gray concrete floor of the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, in its gray concrete building, under St. Louis’ cold gray sky. It was quiet.

We were gathered to explore the world of art, the world of architecture: their intersections, their motivations, their repercussions, etc. More specifically, we gathered to explore the Pulitzer’s current exhibition, Urban Alchemy, and the Pulitzer itself–the building, the space, the light. After brief introductions and explanations, we did what we came to do: we explored.

With notebooks in hand, teens and adults alike slowly wandered through Tadao Ando’s carefully calculated space. We observed records of Matta-Clark’s work and his work itself. Photographs of walls with chunks removed–looking in, looking out. Pieces of walls, pieces of roofs, their layers and layers of shingles made visible by cross-sectional slicing. We looked at garbage made into a wall and pictures of subway cars covered in graffiti and line drawings of a house and its roof and its pieces. We pondered. We scribbled notes in our notebooks. We noticed there were no placards on the walls explaining the art. We asked questions. We looked closer (but never got closer than two feet). We stepped back and took in the larger picture. We sat and stood and leaned and squinted and smiled.

When we came together near the end of our time in the Pulitzer, we shared our thoughts and writings. The art made us think about more than just cutting up buildings with a chainsaw, more than squishing garbage together to make a wall. The space, the art, the light, the sounds, and our overall experience triggered much more. We wondered and wrote about what makes art art, what constitutes “modern” art, and the importance of the art’s arrangement. We were inspired to recall old memories, to wonder about the back stories of objects, to write poetry. One young writer was even inspired to design clothing based on what she had seen.

During our brief stay, we didn’t draw any conclusions. We didn’t score each piece of artwork. We didn’t give the exhibition a grade. But we were inspired by the art, by the space, by our peers. And we wrote. We created our own art. And we were satisfied–pleased.–Paula Davis

As my position is jointly appointed with the Brown School of Social Work, who recently founded the Institute for Public Health, this is adding further fuel to this intellectual fire. For this particular partnership, my current mode of exploration, while broad in focus, continues to return to the theme of health disparities—how can art museums use an engagement around art to address health disparities? I would love your thoughts and comments about this particular train of thought.

Crew members from Earthworks Urban Farm in Detroit pose with their produce.

So my personal Detroit visit included conversations with Matt Sikora, head of evaluation at the DIA, and Jennifer Czajkowski, Direct of Interpretive Programs at the DIA. For those of you into evaluation, the DIA conducts what I consider to be an unprecedented amount of formative evaluation, or evaluation that is done during the formation of an exhibition (like market testing), which dovetails nicely with their strong commitment to innovative interpretive strategies, an effort in which Jennifer is highly instrumental. These interpretive strategies, the incorporation of which is based on the theoretical work of Abigail Housen and stages of aesthetic readiness, include thematic curation of exhibitions, specific language in wall text that isn’t necessarily rooted in art history, and other assistive devices, such as “I Spy” plaques and, my personal favorite, the table in their Fashionable Living exhibition that shows pieces on display being used in an 18th century dinner. The truly innovative model of how learning and interpretation (formerly, education) and curatorial interact to create one type of “optimal visitor experience” is somewhat antithetical to our approach, yet both of our institutions are striving toward the common goal of supporting the relevance of art in everyone’s lives.

The afternoon at the DIA was followed by a tour of Detroit, courtesy of our friends at the MOCAD. Specifically, Luis Croquer, Director, and his staff and colleagues in the community shared what, in combination with the innovation occurring at the DIA, make for great beacons of hope for art in the aforementioned “challenging urban environment.” Among the truly inspiring sites we toured stands the Earthworks Urban Farm and Capuchin Soup Kitchen (which is one of the famed urban agriculture projects that have, pardon the pun, taken root in Detroit, given the amount of unused urban land—fascinatingly enough, policy appears to lag behind the projects that have put Detroit on the map in a new and admirable way and composting and gardening as a primary function for a plot of land in the city remain illegal on the books). Art flourishes in a variety of environments and we witnessed homegrown, community, and what could be considered outsider art blooming in various parts of the city.

Of particular interest is the work of Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert, and in a convergence of the sort that makes my work particularly exhilarating, Mitch and Gina are currently installing “The Neighborhood Project” at the DIA in preparation for an exhibition they will be installing at MOCAD. As part of this installation, they will be highlighting the stories of the neighborhood in which they live, including one gentleman who can tell you the automotive history of ownership up and down the block. Mitch and Gina are at the heart of a project that is growing within their neighborhood—buying inexpensive property (as low as $100 for an abandoned home) and renovating those spaces in the name of purpose of the arts (writing, visual, and otherwise). Mitch and Gina are currently working on “the Power House,” which is a home that for financial reasons was kicked off the grid and through Mitch and Gina’s efforts to use sustainable technology will remain off the grid, integrating solar and wind power, among other techniques to create this artists’ space. Ironically, they paid less for the land and home than they did for the adjacent lot, which now houses the solar panels and converter for the Power House.

Artists like Mitch and Gina are living legacies of the work and vision of Gordon Matta-Clark, and in some ways, we all felt that visiting Detroit was long overdue, but perhaps it was simply the perfect time to, as being immersed in the building cuts, collages, and spirit of Gordon Matta-Clark opened us up in just the right ways to appreciate all that Detroit is just starting to teach us. After experiencing just a taste of what Detroit has to offer, we’re excited to share the community and art treasures of St. Louis with our colleagues in Detroit.

Andrew Raimist, an architect, talks about Bingo for Frame of Reference. To watch video of part of his talk, and to read his thoughts on the Pulitzer and Gordon Matta-Clark, visit Architectural Ruminations.

On the first Saturdays of every month, the Pulitzer hosts Frame of Reference, discussions lead by special guests about specific artworks on display. It’s a wonderful opportunity to gain insight on the art and artist, as well as the chance to ask questions and engage in invigorating conversations.

A couple Saturdays ago, I listened to our Senior Curator, Francesca Herndon-Consagra talk in the Cube Gallery about the Matta-Clark piece Four Corners. About ten other people were  in the room, walking in and around the objects as we discussed and learned what these four corners of a now demolished house meant as a physical document and how we can mentally interpret this work in the present day.

Frame of Reference Saturdays are a great way to further explore the Pulitzer space and visual art.  It welcomes anyone and everyone to participate in a fun and interesting discussions about art, without making you feel like your in a class lecture. It’s great to see familiar faces in the art community and to share a viewing experience with a group of people.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gallery Assistant Kay Renner talks about Conical Intersect and invites you to come to the Pulitzer.