On February 21, 2026, The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University hosted a keynote conversation in conjunction with the exhibition Hamdia Traoré: Des marabouts de Djenné and Muslim Portraiture in Mali.
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Teaching “Marsha” through the Block’s Collection [PDF]
On April 2, 2026, The Block Museum of Art hosted an online collection talk exploring artworks from the museum’s collection in dialogue with the biography Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson by Tourmaline. Led by Curatorial Associate Llewyn Blossfeld and facilitated by Engagement Coordinator and Educator Isabella Ko, the program considered how […]
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Teresa Montoya’s Tó Łitso (Yellow Water): Exhibition Keynote [Video]
On February 7, 2026, The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University opened Tó Łitso (Yellow Water): Ten Years after the Gold King Mine Spill, an exhibition by artist and anthropologist Teresa Montoya (Diné). The evening featured a keynote address by Montoya, followed by a conversation with art historian Carl Fuldner. The program was introduced […]
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When Students Choose: New Research on Student-Led Acquisitions Presented at AAMG Summit
Earlier this year, former Block Museum Student Associate Bobby Yalam ’24 presented new research at the 2026 Student Summit organized by the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries. His paper, “When Students Choose: The Relationship between Participatory Acquisitions and LGBTQ+ Representation in University Collections,” explores how student participation in collecting decisions can shape university art […]
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Immigrant Owned: Photographer Jonathan Castillo in Conversation [Video]
On February 25, 2026, The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University hosted artist Jonathan Castillo for a conversation about his ongoing photographic project Immigrant Owned. He spoke with Myrna García, Associate Professor of Instruction in Latinx Studies, about the stories, processes, and questions that drive his work across Chicago and beyond. “I want people […]
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From Lagos to Bamako: Biennales and Global Conversations in African Photography [Video]
On March 5, 2026, The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University hosted the online conversation “From Lagos to Bamako: Biennales and Global Conversations in African Photography.” The webinar explored the influential role of the Rencontres de Bamako (Bamako Encounters)—Africa’s longest-running photography biennale—in shaping artistic exchange, professional networks, and critical discourse surrounding contemporary photography across […]
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Collection Spotlight: Jason Wesaw, Water Carries Memory (mbish) Water Carries Memory (mnedo), 2025
Artist: Jason Wesaw (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, born 1974, Kalamazoo, MI; lives in Bangor, MI) Title: Water Carries Memory (mbish) and Water Carries Memory (mnedo)Date: 2025 Medium: Oil pastels and leafing ink on watercolor paper Dimensions: Each 17.5 × 23.5 in Credit: Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, gift of the artist. […]
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Northwestern Athletics and Block Museum Celebrate Third Year of Reframe Partnership
Reframe, an ongoing collaboration between Northwestern Department of Athletics and Recreation and The Block Museum of Art, returned this month for its third annual event, bringing student-athletes, coaches, staff, and campus partners together to engage with works from The Block’s collection through conversation and community-building. The initiative connects athletics and the arts through facilitated dialogue, […]
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Collection Spotlight: Jonathan Michael Castillo, Immigrant Owned portfolio, 2022
Artist: Jonathan Michael Castillo (American)Title: Immigrant Owned photo seriesDate: 2022Medium: Inkjet printDimensions: 43 × 55.7 cm, eachCredit: Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Art and Community Fund purchase, 2025.27 From February 4 to March 8, 2026, a number of works from this series will be on view in The Living Room at The Block Museum of Art. Chicago’s neighborhoods are […]
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Exhausted America: Rare Film Screenings Reflect on Competition, Capitalism, and Collective Fatigue
The Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University presents Exhausted America, a Block Cinema film series featuring rare 16mm and 35mm screenings that explore endurance, competition, and disillusionment in American life. The series runs February 19 through March 12, 2026, and includes Sydney Pollack’s They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969), Robert Altman’s […]
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