About PXSTL About the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

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1 Pulitzer Arts Foundation and Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis Launch Second Cycle of National Design-Build Competition, PXSTL Artists, Architects, and Designers Invited to Propose Temporary Structure for Vacant Lot in St. Louis Cultural District As Site-Specific Catalyst for Urban Transformation ST. LOUIS, August 18, 2015 This month, Pulitzer Arts Foundation and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis will launch the second cycle of PXSTL, a national design-build competition conceived to activate an underutilized lot adjacent to the Pulitzer in the heart of Grand Center, St. Louis s premier arts and culture district. Following the success of PXSTL s first iteration in 2014, the Pulitzer and the Sam Fox School will once again seek qualifications from emerging U.S.-based artists, architects, and designers for temporary structures to accommodate site-specific performances, installations, and other participatory projects created by community partners. This month, nominations will be solicited from deans of architecture, art, and design programs; editors of art, architecture, and design publications; distinguished practitioners; and directors and curators of arts institutions. The project demonstrates how creative interventions can serve as a catalyst for large-scale urban transformation. The competition winner, who will be announced in the spring of 2016, will collaborate with the Pulitzer and a team of graduate students from the Sam Fox School to realize the structure, creating a site for a variety of arts programs to take place during a six-month period beginning in the summer of PXSTL was developed to spur creative ideas for temporary structures that engage various communities and foster larger transformations to the neighborhood. The PXSTL acronym, which stands for the Pulitzer, the Sam Fox School, and St. Louis, underscores the lot as a site of intersection for the two institutions and the city, united by a common goal to encourage revitalization through design. The competition winners of PXSTL s first cycle, Brooklyn-based Freecell Architecture, constructed a temporary pavilion on the site that was completed in May of 2014 and

2 housed performances, music, meditation, food interventions, photography installations, and symposia over a period of six months. In its second iteration, PXSTL will once again center on the creation of an innovative temporary structure as a site for community-based programming and active participation. The Pulitzer and the Sam Fox School are deeply committed to exploring and supporting new models for creativity and engagement through innovative design and interdisciplinary collaboration. We re thrilled to continue the tradition of PXSTL into a second cycle, deepening our engagement with the diverse communities in St. Louis and creating a participatory space for art and ideas outside of our own walls, said Pulitzer Director Cara Starke. The PXSTL design-build competition and resulting projects and programming have cultivated a dynamic forum for the exploration of ideas to foster change and incubate new thinking. Once the winning individual or team is selected in spring 2016, they will collaborate with the Pulitzer and the Sam Fox School to realize the project over the next year. The winning designer will serve as visiting faculty, teaching a studio in the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design at the Sam Fox School in the fall of As part of the studio, students will contribute to the concept and design of the structure for the PXSTL site and will be involved in all phases of the design process, including materials exploration, construction documentation, budgeting, timeline development, and evaluating site considerations. The PXSTL structure will also serve as a hub of arts programming created for and by St. Louis s diverse population. In early 2017, local artists, designers, and community members will be invited to develop and implement programming, drawing on the city s dynamic creative communities working to promote small-scale interventions as catalysts for large-scale impact. The PXSTL structure will open in spring Additional information on the finalists, design process, and site-specific programming will be available in the coming months.

3 About PXSTL PXSTL is a national design-build competition created by Pulitzer Arts Foundation and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. PXSTL an acronym that abridges the Pulitzer, the Sam Fox School, and St. Louis is anchored by the creation of a temporary architectural structure that functions as a venue for community-based and site-specific programming. The first cycle of PXSTL which comprised (1) a national design-build competition for a temporary structure to activate the vacant PXSTL lot in St. Louis s Grand Center neighborhood, (2) the construction of the winning structure, and (3) a six-month series of programs at the PXSTL site was completed in PXSTL is founded on the belief that arts and culture are core components in building meaningful and sustainable communities and the collective act of place-making contributes to a region s economic and cultural vitality. The PXSTL programs and projects aim to bring together diverse and creative groups of residents and artists, elevate the St. Louis region as an epicenter of arts and design culture, and contribute to the ongoing revitalization of the vibrant Grand Center neighborhood. Ultimately, PXSTL aims to be a national model for reframing the use of vacant land in urban environments to build vital and dynamic communities. The project is supported by an endowment established by Emily Rauh Pulitzer for the Sam Fox School to fund joint projects between the School and Pulitzer Arts Foundation. About the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts is an interdisciplinary and diverse community of artists, architects, designers, curators, and scholars dedicated to excellence in learning, creative activity, research, and exhibition. The School s unique structure allows it to build on the strengths of each unit Art, Architecture, and the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum and to draw on the resources of Washington University in St. Louis to create new knowledge and address the social and

4 environmental challenges of our time. For more information, visit About Pulitzer Arts Foundation Pulitzer Arts Foundation provides an intimate space for interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement that focuses on the intersection of art, architecture, and design. A non-collecting institution, the Pulitzer is committed to pushing the boundaries of the traditional arts encounter and providing its audiences with new and unexpected arts experiences. Founded by curator, philanthropist, and arts patron Emily Rauh Pulitzer in 2001, the Pulitzer presents a highly varied program that invites visitors to think differently about art and its relationship to other disciplines in daily life. As part of its continued support of Grand Center s revitalization and its vision to serve as a cultural destination for the St. Louis community, the Pulitzer brings together a diverse range of innovators, including artists, curators, and community partners, as its collaborators. Housed in a Tadao Ando-designed building, the Pulitzer offers visitors an evolving viewing experience, as it blends indoor and outdoor spaces enlivened by natural light. In May 2015, the Pulitzer completed the first major alteration to the building since its opening. Repurposing office and storage spaces in its lower level, the Pulitzer added 3,700 square feet of public space to the 7,500 square feet of existing galleries. This expansion enables the Pulitzer to present concurrent exhibitions for the first time in its history, to extend its curatorial and public programs, and to explore a broader range of collaborations. For more information, visit pulitzerarts.org. ### For further information, please contact: Sara Griffin Resnicow + Associates / sgriffin@resnicow.com

5 Katie Hasler Peissig Manager of Communications Pulitzer Arts Foundation ext. 235 Liam Otten Senior News Director, Arts & Humanities Washington University in St. Louis