ST. LOUIS, MO.- Emily Rauh Pulitzer, founder and Chair of Pulitzer Arts Foundation, announced today that the Board of Trustees has unanimously selected Cara Starke as the institution’s new Director. Ms. Starke has served as the Director of Exhibitions at Creative Time since 2011, where she realized some of the organization’s most ambitious projects. She will assume her role at the Pulitzer in July.

“Cara’s approach to the work and operations of an arts institution is exceptional. She has a keen understanding of the evolving role the arts play in our lives and in our communities—a vision that is well in line with the Pulitzer’s long tradition of pushing the boundaries of the arts experience,” said Mrs. Pulitzer. “We are pleased to have Cara join and lead our team, and to continue to engage audiences both locally and internationally.”

“Cara’s leadership and commitment to engaging communities with a diverse range of art and artists make her an ideal choice to lead the Pulitzer as it enters its next phase of development,” said William Bush, the President of the Board of Trustees of Pulitzer Arts Foundation. “She has a distinct and exciting vision for the role of an arts institution, focusing on cross-disciplinary collaboration and experimentation. We look forward to working with Cara to create innovative experiences that will take advantage of our newly expanded building and engage our many constituents.”

During her tenure at Creative Time, Ms. Starke oversaw some of the most ambitious projects in the organization’s 40-year history, including Kara Walker’s A Subtlety, the group exhibition Black Radical Brooklyn, Suzanne Lacy’s New York premiere Between the Door and the Street, Nick Cave’s HEARD NY in Grand Central Terminal, Tom Sach’s SPACES PROGRAM: MARS at the Park Avenue Armory, and Trevor Paglen’s The Last Pictures, an artwork launched into outer space in 2012. She is currently co-curating the exhibition Drifting in Daylight: Art in Central Park, which will feature eight artists’ commissions for New York City’s iconic park and will open in May 2015. These exhibitions and projects demonstrate Ms. Starke’s tremendous creative vision, commitment to championing artists’ ideas, and talent for realizing groundbreaking and experimental work.

“The Pulitzer is a remarkable space that brings together intellectual experimentation and thoughtful contemplation with a commitment to local audiences and experiences that extend beyond the institution’s walls,” said Starke. “With the recent expansion, the Pulitzer has increased opportunities to offer unexpected, profound, and innovative approaches to artistic and cultural expression. I am honored to lead the Pulitzer into its next phase as an open and inspired space for art and culture.”

Prior to joining Creative Time, Ms. Starke served as the Assistant Curator for the Department of Media and Performance Art at the Museum of Modern Art, where she co-organized several exhibitions, including Projects 97: Mark Boulos, Francis Alÿs: A Story of Deception, Projects 93: Dinh Q. Lê, William Kentridge: Five Themes, Pipilotti Rist: Pour Your Body Out (7354 Cubic Meters), Take your time: Olafur Eliasson, Doug Aitken: sleepwalkers, and Douglas Gordon: Timeline.

Ms. Starke has also contributed to a variety of catalogs and publications and actively lectures on contemporary art and public art practice. She earned her M.A. in the History of Art from Williams College and her B.A. in the History of Art from Cornell University.

In May 2014, the Pulitzer announced an expansion project that has transformed the lower level of its Tadao Ando-designed building into new public spaces for exhibitions, programs, and artist-driven activities. The expansion represents the first major alteration to the Pulitzer’s building since it opened in 2001, and has added 3,700 square feet of public space to the 7,500 square feet of existing galleries. The expansion was conceived by Mrs. Pulitzer, along with Kristina Van Dyke, who will step down as Director after the reopening to pursue independent projects.

The construction project supports the continued growth and extension of the Pulitzer’s curatorial and public programs, enhancing the mixture of exhibitions and activities available to engage the community.