ST. LOUIS, MO.- The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts announced today the appointment of Gretchen Wagner as curator. Wagner, who is currently assistant curator at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, will join the Pulitzer staff October 15. Working closely with director Kristina Van Dyke, Wagner will oversee the Pulitzer’s curatorial program, including exhibitions, special projects, and collaborative initiatives. Wagner succeeds Francesca Herndon-Consagra, who served as senior curator from 2008 to 2012.

“The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts has a reputation for innovative and thought-provoking exhibitions, programs, and partnerships,” Wagner said. “A space for both speculation and contemplation, the Pulitzer provides a distinct platform for curatorial experimentation and the innovative presentation of art representing a diversity of disciplines, formats, and geographies. There is extraordinary potential here to engender new experiences and provide audiences with opportunities to encounter and engage with works unlike at any other institution.”

Wagner added, “Equally as exciting is the Pulitzer’s exceptional support of contemporary artists, offering a unique forum to present their work and explore ideas expansively. I look forward to working with the talented staff and director to shape the curatorial program and build upon the incredible success achieved in the institution’s first 10 years.”

“I am thrilled that Gretchen Wagner will join the Pulitzer at such an exciting time in its history,” Van Dyke said. “She brings to the institution a broad range of curatorial experience and imaginative ideas informed by a solid understanding of art history and extensive knowledge of contemporary art. Gretchen’s breadth of experience coupled with her creative, open-minded, and energetic disposition will serve the institution well as it moves into its second decade.”

In her role as assistant curator in the Department of Prints and Illustrated Books at The Museum of Modern Art, Wagner organized the exhibitions Gabriel Orozco: Samurai Tree Invariants; Thing/Thought: Fluxus Editions, 1962-1978; and Projects 98: Slavs and Tatars. She also contributed texts to a number of publications during her tenure, including Modern Women: Women Artists at The Museum of Modern Art; Dada in the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art; and MoMA P.S.1’s Greater New York 2005. In conjunction with her curatorial oversight of the Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection, comprised of nearly 10,000 works from the experimental avant-garde of the 1960s and 70s, Wagner has completed extensive research in Central and Eastern Europe, investigating modern and contemporary visual art, performance, and music from the region.

Prior to her work at The Museum of Modern Art, Wagner served as curatorial assistant for The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College, where she founded the ongoing exhibition series Elevator Music: Investigations in Experimental Sound. She received her M.A. from Williams College and her B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.