Jay Buchanan used the Department's support for graduate internships in the St. Louis arts community to design a cross-operational shadowing experience at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation for Fall 2023. The experience combined professional development with historical insights on how artists, arts workers, and arts organizations relate today. Jay visited the Foundation weekly to interview and shadow specialists from the organization's Curatorial, Executive, Facilities, Finance, Human Resources, Marketing and Communications, Production, Publications, Public Programs, Registration, and Visitor Experience teams. Jay worked closely with Pulitzer Executive Director Cara Starke and her assistant, Prema Cruz, to strategize this opportunity with ongoing guidance from AHA's Ila Sheren. Cara and Jay met periodically throughout the semester to reflect on lessons from the shadowing process and to discuss a range of topics facing contemporary arts administrators, including equity, policy-writing, budgeting, communications, and best practices in leadership and management.
