In this day and age, everyone is looking for ways to be more environmentally responsible. Whether it’s recycling, buying locally grown foods, switching to compact fluorescent bulbs, or using mass transit, “going green” is the way to conserve energy, save money, and reduce one’s carbon footprint.

At the top of the list is investigating alternate energy sources–namely solar, wind, and thermal. The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts and EarthWays Center are offering you a low-cost opportunity to take this important step towards energy efficiency. The solar panel system that once powered Spencer Finch’s The Light Project installation, and is now in use at the Missouri Botanical Garden, could soon be yours for only $100!

Throughout the month of June, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets to win the entire system: eight 195 watt panels (1.56 kW), six 235 amp/hr 12V batteries, inverter, charge controller, and mounting hardware. The system is valued Read the rest of this entry »

Two great posts I just finished reading about social media (which reminds me that I still want to do a major recap of what I’ve learned from Museums and the Web…).

This article from NPR discusses the shift from the web being page-based (and focused on displaying past information) to a constant stream of active information (a la Twitter) and what that says about our society today.  The Pulitzer has a Twitter page and participates in this “stream” – do you?  And do you think this type of constant information will eventually replace static information on the web?  Which also ties in with something else I heard on NPR this morning – will these musings online have any hope for longevity?  What will our version of Shakespeare’s sonnets be?

The other piece I just finished reading was by Kimberly from the Kemper.  She wrote about social media and art on the Saint Louis Art Map and discussed how what we do on the web as museums needs to relate back to our mission and audience.  It reminded me of the paper Nina Simon presented at Museums and the Web, which takes this idea one step further.  She discussed how our approach to an online presence – with it’s emphasis on accessibility and the interactions with Web 2.0 – and how we should bring these ideas back inside the galleries.  As she calls it, “going analog”.  It’s an interesting read -check it out here.

I’m back in St. Louis, and full of ideas from Museums and the Web.  More to come on that soon.  In the meantime, I’d like to talk about my love of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

I’ve written before about how much I admire their approach to museum transparency, but this was my first opportunity to visit in person.  The new Davis Lab gave me ideas for the presentation of our own in-gallery kiosk and the surrounding 150 acres of gardens (with prompts to post your photos on Flickr – nice) was perfect after being cooped up inside hotel conference rooms for days. Their director, Max Anderson, gave an inspiring opening address to the conference, which set the tone for all the great ideas that were to follow. Watch his intro here (ah yes, Art Babble – another reason to love the IMA!).

To add to this always-growing list – here’s a blog post about the “Indy Culture Matters” rally they participated in yesterday and the associated website. Reminded me of Amy’s post a few months back on visiting Jefferson City  (and also here) and how important it is to keep the arts at the forefront and convey their importance to our community leaders.

The Symphony’s Carnegie Hall performance that I mentioned in this post, was reviewed in the New York Times on Sunday.  Sounds like it was a trip full of challenges, but with amazing results.  For example, David Robertson filling in for the soloist at the last minute!  Read about why and what happened here.

I was lucky to be invited to last Friday’s Symphony performance by their blogger extraordinaire, Eddie Silva. He organized Bloggers’ Night, luring us in with promises of free tickets, drinks, and a chance to mingle with fellow bloggers.  In exchange we promised a blog post about the experience. Genius!The Pulitzer collaborates regularly with the Symphony, so they’re no strangers around the Pulitzer (I got a kick out of trying to find musicians on stage that had performed here in the past).  But this time, I enjoyed going down the street to hang on their turf for once.   Listening to the performance at Powell Symphony Hall, was in strong contrast to our stark, modern concrete.   At the Pulitzer, performances are very intimate, but I loved being in the middle of that large hall, dressed up, and surrounded by beautiful gold gilding and chandeliers.

Powell is one of my favorite buildings in St. Louis, and each time I walk through its doors – either for a performance in front, or for a meeting in back – I’m always reminded of my childhood.  I remember going to the Christmas concerts, and the main lobby with its red velvet, gold and mirrors, decked out in its holiday best, was the pinnacle of elegance.  My favorite part of the night was always walking up and down that grand staircase.  I still get a kick out of it.  If I worked at Powell, I’d use that staircase every day.  Or eat my lunch on it.  Though that’s probably not allowed.

We were lucky to be able to watch the Carnegie Hall preview performance.  Here it’s mentioned on Alex Ross’ blog, The Rest is Noise (he also gives a well-deserved shout-out to Eddie!).  It featured the full orchestra (also something we never get to see at the Pulitzer!) performing Wagner’s Good Friday Music from Parsifal and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5.  They invited two incredible guest artists – cellist, Anssi Karttunen, (his fingers moved so fast, I could barely keep up) who performed on Zimmermann’s Canto di speranza and Mirage by Saariaho, which he performed with soprano Karita Matilla.  My favorite piece of the night was when she sang Sibelius’ Luonnota.  We were sitting towards the back of the hall, and even at that distance, she was completely captivating.

I enjoyed getting outside of the Pulitzer’s walls to experience one of our regular collaborators in all their full Powell Hall performance glory.  I hope I can not only finagle an invite to the next Bloggers Summit (cough cough) but also return the favor very soon.

Without memories, we would live in the moment and experience each day as though we were an infant… a blank slate. No one wants to lose those who they love or have loved to anything. Losing them by forgetting they existed is harsher than one can imagine. Many people deal with this daily in the form of a disease called Alzheimer’s.

Today, a group of people in early stages of Alzheimer’s came to the Pulitzer with a program called Let’s Look. As they introduced themselves to the group, I stood and listened to each person recall what they could about their life. I met a file clerk, an attorney, a widow, a grandmother, a parent, a teacher, an architect, and a World War II Veteran.

However, I got to sit down with one man and go in more depth than a general introduction. I learned of his interest in square dancing. He told me he knows nothing about art, but is interested in learning more. We moved on to discuss his Slovakian grandparents and how he lived with them, his parents and his brother in one house. Then he revealed his conservative upbringing. He felt that manner of child raising had caused him to be less social in life.

I asked, “Do you think this group is a good thing because it allows you to be more social?”

He said, “Yes… but sometimes I wonder if it is too late.”

The Pulitzer is reinstating a rotation of posts from different departments, and we thought we might as well start with us. Over the past few months, the Pulitzer’s wee Web Communications Department (Rachel + me) has made strides in taking over the cyberworld–that is, creating more of a web presence.

My efforts include maintaining our Facebook and Myspace pages (please friend us). If you’re wondering who fliered your page with “Thanks for visiting!” over a photo of Joe, it was me in a process of meditative, repetitive mouse-clicking. I’ve also been experimenting with what mood face to choose for PFA’s Myspace status:

“Status: The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts is open Wednesday, 12-5pm.   Just Now. Mood: luminous ” Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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

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!