Pulitzer Arts Foundation facts for kids
The Pulitzer Arts Foundation building. To the left is the Continental Life Building
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| Established | 2001 |
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| Location | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Type | Art museum |
| Founder | Emily Rauh Pulitzer |
| Public transit access |  MetroBus |
The Pulitzer Arts Foundation is a special art museum in St. Louis, Missouri. It shows amazing art exhibitions and hosts fun public events. People often call it "the Pulitzer." You can find it at 3716 Washington Boulevard in the Grand Center Arts District. A famous Japanese architect named Tadao Ando designed the building. The best part? It's free to visit!
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History of the Pulitzer
The Pulitzer Arts Foundation started in 2001. A woman named Emily Rauh Pulitzer created it. She and her husband, Joseph Pulitzer Jr., wanted a place to show their own art collection.
In the early 1990s, the Pulitzers asked Tadao Ando to help. They wanted him to change an old car factory in St. Louis into an art space. This area was known as Grand Center. Sadly, Joseph Jr. passed away before the project was finished. Later, Emily Rauh Pulitzer asked Ando again. This time, he designed his first public building in the United States just for art.
The first art show featured pieces from the Pulitzer family's collection. It included art by famous artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol. After that, the museum started showing art from other collections too. This helped them bring many different kinds of art to St. Louis.
From 2001 to 2014, the museum was called The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. It has shown many types of art, from minimalist art to Buddhist art. They also had shows for single artists like Dan Flavin and Richard Serra. At the Pulitzer, you won't find labels next to the art on the walls. This helps you experience the art without distractions.
The Building's Design
The Pulitzer Arts Foundation building opened in October 2001. It took four years to build and almost ten years to plan. It was the first public building in the U.S. designed by Tadao Ando. He won a big award called the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1995.
Ando's design uses natural things like light and water. He also uses a lot of concrete. The concrete parts of the building were made right there during construction. Special building methods were used that were new in America at the time. People say the building is a calm place to look at art. It also helped make the historic St. Louis area more lively.
In June 2014, the building got bigger. They changed storage and office areas downstairs into two new art galleries. Ando and his team helped with the plans. The public space grew from 6,800 square feet to about 10,400 square feet. The museum reopened on May 1, 2015. It had three art shows at the same time, featuring artists Alexander Calder, Fred Sandback, and Richard Tuttle.
Art Exhibitions
The Pulitzer Arts Foundation is a "non-collecting" museum. This means it doesn't own a permanent collection of art. Instead, it shows temporary art exhibitions. It has been called "one of the loveliest places in the country to look at art."
The first exhibition in 2001 showed only art from the Pulitzer family's collection. Since then, the museum has shown art from many different times and styles. The art is often placed in ways that work with the building's design by Tadao Ando. Ando wanted to create a place where art feels alive and can "speak to us."
Sometimes, artists themselves help choose the art for shows. For example, artist Glenn Ligon curated an exhibition called Blue Black in 2017. He was inspired by a sculpture by Ellsworth Kelly with the same name. Kelly himself curated a show in 2002. Other artists like Gedi Sibony and Ann Hamilton have also created special projects for the Pulitzer.
The museum also shows art that isn't seen very often. This includes old Japanese drawings called ukiyo-e and sculptures by Italian artist Medardo Rosso.
Permanent Artworks
Three artworks are always on display at the Pulitzer.
- Ellsworth Kelly’s Blue Black is a tall sculpture on a wall. It's under a skylight in the main gallery.
- Richard Serra’s Joe is a large, twisted sculpture made of special steel. It's in the courtyard outside the building.
- The works by Kelly and Serra were specially made for the Pulitzer. They were put in place before the building even opened.
Later, the Pulitzer bought another sculpture by artist Scott Burton. It's called Rock Settee and sits outside facing the building's reflecting pool. Both Kelly and Serra worked with Emily Pulitzer and Tadao Ando to place their art. Ando said that these artists brought their own ideas into the spaces he created.
Public Programs
The Pulitzer offers many public programs. These events are often connected to the art shows or community projects. They include things like music concerts, meditation, talks, performances, and poetry readings. There are also many educational activities for families and kids.
The museum works with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra to put on concerts. The music chosen often relates to the art on display. They also work with a local music group called Farfetched for live music shows.
In January 2014, the Pulitzer had a special week of programs called Reset. This happened between art exhibitions. It included a temporary art piece by David Scanavino. There were also fun, interactive events like a breakdancing competition, yoga, and family activities. Reset also featured a performance by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. They played a very important piece of music by John Cage for the first time in the U.S.
The Pulitzer has also helped new performances debut. This includes poetry by Claudia Rankine and a video poem by Rankine and John Lucas. They also hosted a sound event by composer David Lang. In 2016, a German architecture group called raumlaborberlin brought parts of an old St. Louis house into the Pulitzer's main gallery.
Community Projects
The Pulitzer often creates projects and programs to involve local communities. They want many different people and groups to take part.
They worked with Prison Performing Arts and Washington University in St. Louis on a program called Staging. This program invited homeless veterans and people who had been in prison to the galleries. They learned about theater, got job advice, and studied art. It ended with a public performance where they shared their experiences with the art.
In 2014, the Pulitzer started PXSTL with the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. The first PXSTL project, called Lots, turned an empty space across from the museum into a community hub. People could enjoy dance, music, photography, food, and meditation there. The second PXSTL project was by artists Amanda Williams and Andres L. Hernandez. It explored the life of a building from start to finish.
