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.

The decline of the American City, particularly those for whom manufacturing was the primary economic driver, is long-standing topic of study and debate—a casualty of the most recent economic crisis or of more long-term political, social, and economic decisions and impasses. An expedition party from the Pulitzer ventured to Detroit recently, visions of Gordon Matta-Clark dancing in our heads and curiosity about how the arts were surviving in what is inadequately-described-as a challenging urban environment.

The flight to Detroit already spoke volumes, as we encountered what is becoming increasingly rare in this economy—a relatively empty flight. A friendly seatmate and Detroit suburb native shared with me the story of what industry still exists within Detroit, namely the military industrial complex that enables Windsor (part of Detroit’s metropolitan area) to continue to thrive. He also shared with me what would be the first of many glimmers and even rays of hope about the state of the arts—that he, a dedicated military contractor with very little arts interest otherwise, was a frequent and ardent visitor for the Detroit Institute of the Arts. We were greeted in Detroit by a sparkling new terminal, complete with indoor fountain, tram, and light and sound installation, and fairly easily found our way to Midtown Detroit, roughly equivalent to Grand Center in St. Louis.

I’d like to take a moment here to describe the urban landscape of Detroit. As a native southerner, I’m used to large, unused swaths of land in various states of occupancy, wilderness, and everything in between. Detroit, however, was a new experience. We learned later that Detroit was planned as a city that could accommodate 4-5 million, and not surprisingly, given Ford and his legacy, the streets are wide (some not as wide as they once were) and encourage driving over walking. Woodward, the avenue that is home to many establishments now, including the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, is wide enough and integral to the Wayne State-Arts district that it reminds me of an asphalt Mississippi River. Beautiful housing stock, homes dating from the turn of the 20th Century that have been lovingly restored for various purposes, are mixed in with empty lots and sibling structures who weren’t lucky enough yet to have new life. The absence of structures some destroyed and some that never came to existence can be attributed to the anticipated growth never being fulfilled. At its peak, Detroit (the City, not Detroit Metropolitan Area) reached a height in the 2-millions and since the mid-Twentieth Century has declined to just under 1 million now. I should note, too, that the fewer than 1 million people in the city plus those living in the surrounding counties are an incredibly diverse public, representing a variety of religions and ethnicities (including the largest Muslim population outside of the Middle East).

What this absence of people means to the city certainly has economic implications but it also impacts the state of the arts, which I’ll share with you in my next post.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Pulitzer’s facilities management gives insight into our Tadao Ando building in the video series The Ando Building. In this video, Facilities Manager Steve Morby answers the question: Where does the water from the reflecting pool go?

What questions do you have about the Pulitzer’s building?

From an e-mail yesterday:

“Hi Amy…!!!!

I was getting coffee this morning, and I saw one of your wooden screen printed ads for the Gordon MC show. It looked really cool!”

Those exclamation points make me happy.

Since last Wednesday, after a trip to All Along Press, the Pulitzer’s communications team has been re-abandoning bits of wood, wallpaper and granite, printed with Urban Alchemy advertisements, around town. This guerrilla marketing campaign was implemented in the spirit of Gordon Matta-Clark, who renewed unwanted objects in much of his artwork. In the next few days, as you’re sipping espresso at a coffee joint or skimming a bookstore’s magazines, keep an eye out for this latest pop at inviting you to come to our approaching exhibition.

To learn more about this project and to view related photos visit our Flickr set.

me: Ok here we go
Kay: bring it
me: How does it feel to be a Hospitality Hero?

Kay: I think it’s an interesting title, but it feels good to know people care about kind interactions among the community. To be a part of the staff at the PFA and to be recognized for trying to do the best I can here feels great. I think we have many Hospitality Heroes here in our space.

me: Can you explain the scenarios that helped you receive the title from the CVC at their annual meeting? (We won’t use reenactments as we witnessed at the awards luncheon.)

Kay: I love the concept and the philosophy of what the Pulitzer tries to facilitate.  We often have community engagement activities where we go out to schools or local groups and then bring them into our gallery space as well. I really love teaching and bringing fresh eyes into what we have to offer and try to be involved with these groups.  I work a lot with the children and high school groups and really get them excited about the space.  One group came in and I had to demonstrate movement in our water court.  By the end of the session, the kids were dancing and expressing their interpretations of movement in our water court.  We also had an early Alzheimer’s group, and I came to every session we held at the PFA.  Those respectable ladies and gentleman loved to tell stories of their family and life growing up…

me: As a Gallery Assistant, hospitality isn’t really written in the job description but perhaps that is a part of the role you have.  Can you tell me if this changes the way you approach your gallery work?

Kay: You can be yourself and have a good time while still being responsible and considerate of the public.  By being who you are, especially with our group of gallery attendants, we each have something to bring to the table.  Sometimes you have to be a little silly or make adjustments in order to serve your job and the public best.

me: At the awards luncheon and banquet held last Thursday at the Convention Center downtown, you met some people involved mostly in the hospitality field and shook the Mayor’s hand. Did you see yourself in a new context?  (Not sure I’m making the point clear here.)  Did you view the PFA in a new light, as part of a bigger picture in STL?

Kay: We are a part of a holistic experience for those who live and visit St Louis…I think that recognizing those who interact with the public daily is a great reflection…It shows that all are significant who contribute to making the city what it is.

As we usher out the grand ol’ paintings and think forward to Gordon Matta-Clark, the focus of my preparations involves deciding what type of staffing the new exhibition will need. With a new exhibition, everything changes. The way that we discuss the exhibition changes. The approach to visitor education and programming changes. So there’s a lot of flurry of information swirling around me in the office right now, but it won’t be until the works are installed that the true sense of what our Visitor Service roles will be.

Gallery Assistants will be studying up on the artist’s work and biography as well as the sort of ideas present in 1970s New York and how they may or may not relate to our own city in the current time. Gallery Assistants are here for the public, and this won’t change–answers to the questions of visitors will be readily accessible from the gallery staff.

The dialogue between art and architecture will continue, but in what way will the Pulitzer perform social and political roles as Gordon Matta-Clark did? And for that matter, how will someone who visited us for the first time during Ideal (Dis-) Placements now come to understand the work of Matta-Clark in our space?

Specifically, I’ve helped Lisa, our Manager of Community Engagement,
prepare for events that explore and celebrate the social aspects of
Matta-Clark’s work. For example, we’re talking about ways to highlight
Matta-Clark’s interest in food and cooking (he helped found a New York
City restaurant called Food in 1971), and how to integrate culinary
arts into our programming. Research has been tasty, to say the least.

I’ve also assisted with some of the content that could make its way
into the catalog. Matta-Clark was a very comfortable, articulate
writer and interviewee, and we’ll have plenty of original quotes and
statements from the artist himself.

Overall, the curatorial and community engagement departments have been quite busy and very exciting. I’m looking forward to seeing what other ways the two will connect over the next few months.

 

During last Sunday’s Frame of Reference, interesting dialogues surrounded the works of Old Masters. Five Pulitzer volunteers stepped fearlessly into the gallery for a rare opportunity at public speaking. These docents discussed with viewers what it was that kept them looking at their chosen work. From ideas of love and chivalry to discussions of the emotive side-effects of diagonal lines chosen by Tintoretto, docents explained things from their unique perspectives. (We had in our midst a couple artists, historians, a social worker, an engineer and a police officer.) And so too did our visitors; some already had a keen interest in the subject, while others happened by and caught an earful. Sometimes the earful developed into a paused moment to look again at the paint inside the frame and allow the ideas to dance around outside of it–giving new meanings to the original artist depictions.

We thanked our docents for their time and research, and I was baffled that they kept thanking me. An interested audience, eager to see things from a new perspective, found the Pulitzer this past Sunday. On behalf of ourselves and our docents, we thank those visitors for sharing their ideas and thoughtful conversation.  

In theory, to effectively evaluate this pilot program we should take extensive measurements regarding our participants’ experience. Administering surveys pre-visit, immediately post-visit, and two weeks after the visit would allow us to establish a base line and track changes over time. The breadth and depth of such data collection would give us a richer picture of Exploring Art’s impact.  However, with each level of increasing evaluative rigor we also increase the invasiveness of our questioning. Requesting participants to complete a 20-item survey and then consent to supplying personal contact information is hardly a lighthearted trip to the museum.

Of course, some visitors may truly appreciate being able to share their opinions; some may really value taking part in the program piloting. Still, in many ways our goal of making first time visitors feel comfortable is at odds with our goal of in depth evaluation. Which leaves us with the question — How do we balance this tension between wanting quality data that can inform future programs and wanting to create a welcoming atmosphere for potentially nervous or disinterested visitors?

Special guests tonight include our very own Senior Curator Francesca Herndon-Consagra and Kress Interpretive Fellow Hannah Fullgraf as well as St. Louis Poetry Center Consultant Lorin Cuoco. They, along with Haubrich and Ellen Ibur, will read sections of the Classic and talk about next weekend’s A Marathon Metamorphoses. 

Ann Haubrich will be reading at the marathon, so you might think of the show as an auditory preview. If you haven’t checked out the A Marathon Metamorphoses blog lately, read today’s slant on Ovid from St. Louis Magazine’s Culture Editor Stefene Russell, who will also be reading next weekend and has helped host Literature for the Halibut in the past.