Hate your Job? Pulitzer Foundation Seeks Director

Pulitzer Arts Foundation in Saint Louis. Designed by Tadao Ando. Photo: pulitzerarts.org
Kristina Van Dyke, director of Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, to step down in May 2015.

Kristina Van Dyke, director of Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, to step down in May 2015.

As the title of the Judy Garland musical goes, meet me in St. Louis! Have you ever dreamt of running a museum designed by acclaimed Japanese architect Tadao Ando? Now’s your chance, since the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts is looking for a new director to take the reins when the museum reopens in May after a significant renovation. You won’t even have to come to work in a hard hat!

Kristina Van Dyke, Pulitzer director since 2011, will step down in May, just in time for the foundation to unveil 3,600 square feet of new galleries, more than doubling its current exhibition space. Van Dyke is leaving to work on a book, as well as curatorial projects including a fall show of African art at the Pulitzer, so it sounds like a happy parting of the ways.

The search begins this month, so polish up those résumés! Upon taking the helm, you’ll open solo exhibitions devoted to American artists Alexander Calder, Fred Sandback and Richard Tuttle in the spellbinding setting of Ando’s concrete-and-glass building. (Ando has recently been in the news for his $135-million renovation of Williamstown, Massachusetts’ Clark Art Institute, which won the yearly Super Bowl art wager this year with the Patriots’ victory (see Museums Bet Major Paintings on Super Bowl  Win).

You might want to check your progressive cred before you apply. The Pulitzer has been known for such socially-conscious initiatives as Marfa Dialogues/St. Louis, a summit on climate change, and Staging, an admirable project that invites ex-cons and homeless veterans to perform scripts in the galleries based on their reactions to artworks.

If these responsibilities seem too daunting, other employment opportunities at the Pulitzer include gallery assistant. Primary responsibilities include memorizing and communicating information on the artists, works and building. Even you can do that!

For more information, visit the foundation’s web site or call 314-754-1850.


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