The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University announces “Dissident Sisters: Bev Grant and Feminist Activism, 1968–72“, an original exhibition drawn from the collection of The Block Museum and Northwestern University Libraries. The exhibition, on view from September 18 to December 1, 2024, showcases the documentary photography of Bev Grant, an American artist whose work captured the fervor and dynamism of the feminist movement, anti-war protests, and the Black Liberation movement during a transformative period in American history.

“The Block Museum’s exhibitions and collection are focused on activating art’s power as a form of insight, research, and knowledge creation that makes human experience visible and material.  The lived American histories that Bev Grant brings to light in her work will find resonance and new meaning with our students and audiences at this moment,” notes Lisa Corrin, The Block Museum Ellen Philips Katz Executive Director.

During a pivotal period in American public life, Bev Grant participated in and photographed \political movements in and around New York City. Between 1968 and 1972 she documented the actions of the New York Radical Women, the Black Panthers, the Young Lords, and protests against the Vietnam War. Featuring seventeen photographs by Bev Grant that were recently acquired by The Block, the exhibition tells stories of civil rights and social justice movements in the United States.

The exhibition contextualizes the fervent historical moment of the late 1960s with ephemera—political posters, pins, and newspapers—selected from the collections of the Northwestern University Libraries. The exhibition includes items from the libraries’ wide-ranging holdings in Women’s History, Second-Wave Feminism, and the Long 1960s. Alongside ephemera from these archives, the exhibition also displays contemporaneous work of Chicago artists Peggy Lipschutz, Pearl Hirshfield, and the Chicago Women’s Graphic Collective, underscoring the intersectional commitment of feminist practices of the era.

The exhibition is curated by 2023–24 Block Art History Graduate Fellow Ruslana Lichtzier and Corinne Granof, Academic Curator.

An exhibition keynote conversation with the Bev Grant in person is planned for Wednesday, October 9, 6PM. 

On October 10, 7PM, the museum’s Block Cinema program will host the artist in conversation for a special screening Activist Lens: Bev Grant & Newsreel Films, a look at two documentaries she contributed to as part of her work with the iconic Third World Newsreel collective.

“Participant-Based” Photojournalism

In 1967, Bev Grant attended a women’s liberation workshop that forever altered her artistic direction and social consciousness. Describing this experience as an “awakening,” Grant documented the intersecting struggles for justice through a practice she termed “participant-based photojournalism.” Her work vividly captures the essence of the late 1960s and early 1970s, a time of significant social upheaval.

Grant’s personal journey with the New York Radical Women (NYRW) is a central theme of the exhibition. The NYRW, known for their bold and theatrical protests, challenged societal norms and garnered national attention. Iconic moments, such as the 1968 Miss America Pageant protest, are brought to life through Grant’s camera and accompanying archival material.

Photography as Activism

Opposition to the Vietnam War was a unifying force for various social justice movements, and Grant’s photography played a pivotal role in documenting these efforts. The exhibition features images from significant anti-war rallies, including the April 1968 event in Central Park where GIs protested the war and young men publicly burned their draft cards. These photographs reflect a fractured moment in US history, emphasizing protest as both a form of dissent and a fundamental expression of democratic rights.

The exhibition includes Grant’s documentation of social movements. Her photographs capture not only protest imagery but also everyday work, including community programs such as the Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast program. One image offers a rare glimpse into the attempt to form an alliance between the Black Panthers, the Young Lords, and the Young Patriots in New York, showcasing their collective efforts to achieve social justice.

“Dissident Sisters: Bev Grant and Feminist Activism, 1968‒72” is an invitation to engage with a pivotal era through the eyes of an artist who participated in the movements she documented.” says exhibition co-curator Ruslana Lichtzier, Block Museum’s 2023‒24 Art History Graduate Fellow.

“We invite visitors to explore this resonant exhibition and to reflect on the enduring impact of feminist activism and social justice struggles.” 

About the Artist

Bev Grant (born 1942) grew up in Portland, Oregon and moved to New York City in the 1960s. She was inspired by the Anti-War Movement and became involved in the Women’s Movement and the Civil Rights Movement as an activist, musician, and photographer. Much of Bev Grant’s photography documents political activism and consciousness-raising events from 1968 until 1972.  Grants documentary photography continues to be widely licensed by the Associated Press.  Although Grant’s career as a photographer was brief, her contributions to the documentation of social movements are invaluable. Her work as a folksinger continued her activism, preserving the spirit of the era and inspiring future generations.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Bev Grant’s band Human Condition performed folk, rock and world music. In 1991, Grant joined the United Association of Labor Education Northeast Union Women’s Summer School as Cultural Director. Since 1997, she has been Founder and Director of the Brooklyn Women’s Chorus. From 2006 to 2008, Grant performed with other female musicians as part of a group called Bev Grant and the Dissident Daughters and later as WOOL&GRANT. She released a solo album, It’s Personal, in 2017.

As a photographer Grant has exhibited at OSMOS in New York City, the Old Stone House in Brooklyn, the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery at Reed College in Portland, OR, and the American Labor Museum in New Jersey. A monograph of Grant’s photographs called: Bev Grant Photography: 1968-1972, was published by OSMOS Books in December 2021. She is currently working on a documentary film focusing on her experiences and photos.

Photography website: http://www.bevgrantphotography.com
Music website: http://www.bevgrant.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/bevgrant2008
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bevgrant1

Exhibition Details:

Dates: September 18, 2024 – December 1, 2024
Location: The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University
Address: 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208
Museum Hours: Wed-Fri 12PM –8PM, Sat & Sun 12PM–5PM Closed Mon & Tues
Admission: Free and open to the public
Keynote Event: Bev Grant: Artist Talk – Wednesday, October 9, 6PM

Acquisition of works in the exhibition was made possible by the Irwin and Andra S. Press Collection Endowment Fund. The Block is also grateful to OSMOS, which represents the artist. The exhibition has been curated by 2023–24 Block Graduate Fellow Ruslana Lichtzier and Corinne Granof, Academic Curator. The Graduate Fellow is generously supported by The Graduate School (TGS), Northwestern University.

Top Image: Bev Grant (American, born 1942) New York Radical Women organizers at a planning meeting, Southern Conference Educational Fund offices, New York City, Summer 1968. 1968 Gelatin silver printMary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Irwin and Andra S. PressCollection Endowment Fund purchase, 2023.4.7. Image courtesy of the artist and OSMOS.