On August 8, 2017 Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) announced that the Northern Trust Purchase Prize, an annual gift of artwork selected from EXPO CHICAGO, will be donated to Northwestern University’s Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Art at the sixth annual EXPO CHICAGO (Sept. 13 – 17, 2017) at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall.

“The prize naturally aligns with our mission to inspire and develop the newest generation of artists, scholars and arts professionals, as well as sculpt an environment where visual art is integral to teaching and learning across disciplines.”

– Lisa Corrin, Ellen Philips Katz Director, Block Museum of Art

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The selected artwork will be announced during a special unveiling at EXPO CHICAGO on Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. in the Northern Trust Anchor Lounge.

As presenting sponsor of EXPO CHICAGO and a long-time supporter of arts and culture, Northern Trust will purchase a work of art to be added to the Block Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Lisa Graziose Corrin, the Ellen Philips Katz Director of the Block Museum of Art, will be joined by Christine O. Robb, Chair of the Block Museum Board of Advisors and Kathleen Bickford Berzock, Block Museum Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, in selecting the artwork from one of the exhibiting EXPOSURE galleries, curated for the first time by Director of Exhibitions and Senior Curator at Dallas Contemporary Justine Ludwig, at EXPO CHICAGO. The EXPOSURE section elevates the profile of up-and-coming galleries and bolsters the careers of emerging artists.

“Northern Trust is proud to continue supporting arts and culture in our communities,” said Mac MacLellan, Central Region President of Northern Trust Wealth Management. “The Northern Trust Purchase Prize is a valuable aspect in our company’s ongoing tradition to build a solid, forward-looking foundation on which future generations can continue to achieve a higher excellence, and in a way specifically directed at the captivating world of art. We are pleased to share this tradition with such a worthy institution like the Block Museum.”

“Block Museum is thrilled to receive the honorable Northern Trust Purchase Prize,” said Lisa Corrin. “The prize naturally aligns with our mission to inspire and develop the newest generation of artists, scholars and arts professionals, as well as sculpt an environment where visual art is integral to teaching and learning across disciplines.”

In previous years, the Northern Trust Purchase Prize was awarded to:

• 2016: Neil Raitt’s Emerald Waters (New Beverly), displayed at Anat Ebgi Gallery, donated to DePaul Art Museum and chosen by DePaul Art Museum Executive Director Julie Rodrigues Widholm and DePaul University Trustee Dia Weil;
• 2015: JJ PEET’s Jaw X, displayed at On Stellar Rays Gallery, donated to The Arts Club of Chicago and chosen by Arts Club Executive Director Janine Mileaf and Chairman of the Board Helyn Goldenberg;
• 2014: Elise Ferguson’s Saree, displayed at Romer Young Gallery, chosen by a jury led by Michael Darling, James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and placed in the permanent collection at Northern Trust;
• 2013: Jorinde Voigt’s Horizon (Berlin II), displayed at David Nolan Gallery and Corbett vs. Dempsey Gallery, donated to The Art Institute of Chicago and selected by Mark Pascale, Janet and Craig Duchossois Curator of Prints and Drawings.

EXPO CHICAGO is a leading international exposition of contemporary and modern art. Now in its fifth year as presenting sponsor, Northern Trust will host the return of “Exchange by Northern Trust: An Interactive Conversation Around the Art of Collecting.” Located in the Northern Trust Anchor Lounge, this series of private discussions tailored exclusively for invited VIP guests will provide insight and expertise on the art of collecting and feature internationally renowned speakers.

“On behalf of EXPO CHICAGO and the galleries participating in the EXPOSURE section, we are grateful to the Northern Trust for this Purchase Prize and for their long legacy of patronage and support of artists and institutions,” said EXPO CHICAGO President | Director Tony Karman. “Their annual gift of artwork to a Chicago institution illustrates their continued commitment and we are proud that work from this year’s exposition will be in the permanent collection of Northwestern University’s Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Art.”