The Pulitzer Arts Foundation reopens Friday evening with double the exhibition space and the ability to color outside the lines whenever it wants.
Last year, under the guidance of outgoing director Kristina Van Dyke, the austere Grand Center Institution held a drag show, featured nail art and celebrated hip-hop during a week between exhibits. They called the new program “Reset.”
Then Pulitzer officials wondered: “What if we could ‘Reset’ anytime?” But that would require more space. So they closed their doors last August to transform the basement of the Tadao Ando building and give birth nine months later to two new exhibition spaces. On opening night, three art shows will fill both floors but they yawn with possibility for future out-of-the-box events.
Here are some highlights of the tour: (Click on the Tweet #cutpastestl links to quickly tweet out the preceding quote.)
- Kristina Van Dyke, on the debut: “We feel like we’ve been working on this little secret for months, that we are very eager to share.” Tweet #cutpastestl
- Tamara Schenkenberg, on Fred Sandback's "64 Three-Part Pieces," made of single strands of red yarn beckoning visitors to walk under and over: "He had an ardent belief that the space of art and life should not be separate." Tweet #cutpastestl
- Artist Richard Tuttle, on his sparse "Wire Pieces,” each formed from a single Tuttle-sized wire: "I mean, what is the body? I mean, we're soul, and spirit and sun, and then this body happens and it grows old." Tweet #cutpastestl
Van Dyke will continue at The Pulitzer until new director Cara Starke takes the post in July.
Look for new "Cut & Paste" (#cutpastestl) podcasts every few weeks on our website. You can also view all previous podcasts, which focus on a diverse collection of visual and performing artists, and subscribe to “Cut & Paste” through this link.
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