My enthusiasm for one of our past projects inspired me to write my first blog post.  The project consisted of a marathon reading of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which was presented in the context of the exhibition Ideal (Dis-)Placements: Old Masters at the Pulitzer (October 24, 2008 – October 3, 2009). The idea for the reading, as well as the presentation of paintings by Old Masters, was to bring recognized classics into a contemporary realm and reach as broad and as diverse a public as possible.

Most exhibitions are documented with catalogues, and we did this both on the web and in print for the Old Masters exhibition. But how does one communicate the experience of an ephemeral two day reading in our exhibition space? Laurent Torno, a St. Louis based videographer, filmed each of the 74 readers and we ended up with an enormous amount of footage. The question of how to condense this in a web-relevant form was discussed at length.

I think that Laurent’s solution worked well: each participant is represented while reading a short passage, showing the spectrum of the text, the different reading styles, and the diversity of readers. When I was going through the final result, I was struck by the focus of each of the readers, but also by the different ways each bended over the text  – their methods of intonation, how they dealt with the hair that inevitably gets in the way, etc. Some pronounced the words more to themselves, others were in a theatrical mode, while yet others were treading carefully through the minefield of Greek names. What also comes through is that this ancient text continues to be of relevance to our modern world.

Take a look and, by all means, feel free to share it with your friends if it does something for you.–Matthias Waschek, Director of the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts

Here is the final schedule of Sunday readers for A Marathon Metamorphoses. Be sure to listen to Rob Henke, Lamonte Johnson, and Catherine A. Neville read a selection of myths from Ovid’s Metamorphoses by clicking on the video link next to their name. And please stay tuned for future marathon readings at the Pulitzer!

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Here is the final schedule of Saturday readers for A Marathon Metamorphoses. Be sure to listen to K. Curtis Lyle, Carol North, and Avery Springer read a selection of myths from Ovid’s Metamorphoses by clicking on the video link next to their names. Read the rest of this entry »

The buzz around the Pulitzer yesterday morning was that Saturday marathon reader Tyler Green of Modern Art Notes (one of the most read art blogs in the country) wrote a second post about his trip last week to the Pulitzer. If you haven’t caught all the skinny surrounding last weekend’s marathon, I’ve compiled Green’s notes along with a few other internet sources into a list for you. Read the rest of this entry »

Although the gods were in the distant skies,

Pythagoras drew near them with his mind . . .

We—the St. Louis Poetry Center and River Styx—were thrilled to meet with the Pulitzer staff this year to come up with ideas for literary programming to accompany the current exhibition and future ones. Visions of texts danced through our heads. Ovid alighted. Read the rest of this entry »

Today, the galleries at the Pulitzer are silent. After two days of reading Ovid’s Metamorphoses, I have become accustomed to having visitors, young and old, sitting on the stairs, children playing on the Rock Settee outside, and listening to our 73 readers recount the mythological transformations of gods and humans. It was a tremendously busy and happy occasion, so it is bittersweetto sit at my desk today not having to worry about scheduling readers or happy hour. Read the rest of this entry »

For more photos from the weekend, please visit the Pulitzer’s Flickr page.

Or is it your bookmark?

Well, in any case, since 10am this morning, A Marathon Metamorphoses has been going full-throttle. I would like to tell you more, but I’m in a rush to listen to Stefene Russell, who begins in a few, so here are a couple video tidbits to tide over anyone out there glued to the computer, eagerly awaiting a blog update:

Prominent writer and David May Distinguished Professor of Emeritus William H. Gass kicks-off the marathon with the first 15-minute read at 10am.

2:00pm reader Richard Newman, Editor for River Styx, reflects on his fifteen minutes.

Representative Rachel Storch serves the 64th House district in Missouri and will be marathon reading on Sunday. Read another post from her, about grassroots advocacy, on the Pulitzer’s 2buildings1blog.

The Metamorphoses–like the Bible, like Shakespeare’s plays (which, of course, rely heavily on Ovid), like Dante or Chaucer–has remained a seminal work across the centuries because it renders something fundamental and elemental in the human experience. The stories capture an essence that makes the universe comprehensible in terms we understand: terms which weave together the intricacies of human relationship–of love, of hubris, of pain–and bring a particular resonance to the old adage: “nothing new under the sun.” Read the rest of this entry »

A Marathon Metamorphoses is 2 days away! As the manager of A Marathon Metamorphoses, I have been busy with last minute preparation for the Ovidian weekend ahead. My excitement and, unfortunately, my nerves are growing in anticipation for Saturday and Sunday.

I have contacted all of the readers to triple check their reading times, scheduled new readers (check the schedule to see when Paul Ha, Tyler Green, and David Dietrich are reading) and ease their concerns over pronunciation of the names, such as Leucothoe, Ocyrhoe, or Deianira. Never heard of Leucothoe before? She is a maiden who falls in love with Apollo. Of course, this could only be the set up for a tragedy, think Apollo’s infatuation with Daphne. If you want to hear more about why Leucothe morphs into a tree bearing frankincense, then come listen during the two o’clock hour on Saturday afternoon. Read the rest of this entry »