The Block is thrilled to host Jacqueline Lopez as the museum’s 2024-2025 graduate interdisciplinary fellow. Jacqueline is a PhD student in the Department of History at Northwestern, where she is also a Mellon fellow in Native American and Indigenous Studies. She has held professional roles in museums, archives, and other cultural institutions, where her work focused on public history and the equity and inclusion of historically excluded populations in these spaces.

We took a moment to ask Jacqueline about her background and work at The Block this year.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and your field of study? 

I’m from the South Side of Chicago and have a background in public history, anthropology, and museum studies. I earned a BA in History and Anthropology from DePaul University, an MA in History from Northwestern University, and am currently pursuing a PhD in History at Northwestern.  My research is centered on predominantly 20^th-century urban Indigenous history with an emphasis on women, children, families, and activism.  Throughout my career, I have worked in several different museums and cultural institutions in Chicago.    

What interests you about working within an art museum?

Art is essential to our understanding of the human experience, and offers insights into how we shape our identities and perceive our histories. Like history, art is a powerful form of storytelling.  Through their work, artists provide unique perspectives that can challenge dominant narratives and reveal alternative viewpoints often missing from the written record.  Working in an academic art museum like The Block offers me a unique opportunity to engage with the intersection of history and art. Interdisciplinary scholarship is at the core of my research, and this experience will allow me to further develop and expand those skills.

What projects will you be focusing on during your fellowship?

I’m honored to be co-curating It takes a long time to stay here: Paintings by Jordan Ann Craig, alongside Kathleen Bickford Berzock and Janet Dees. I also contributed an essay for the exhibition brochure, drawing from my conversations with Jordan Ann Craig and m.s. RedCherries. It has been an amazing experience so far, and I am excited for the exhibition to open. I’m also looking forward to giving a gallery talk on the exhibition later this spring! 

How did you find your way to museum work?

While things have been changing, museums and other cultural institutions have historically caused significant harm to marginalized and purposefully excluded communities.  As a first-generation college student who didn’t always feel like I belonged in these spaces, I aim to use my public history training to contribute to institutions that are actively working to rebuild trust and foster deeper connections with the communities they serve through concrete, purposeful action.

Is there anything upcoming at the Block Museum or Northwestern that you are particularly excited about? 

I’m really excited about the public programming for It takes a long time to stay here: Paintings by Jordan Ann Craig. The Block is hosting an incredible exhibition keynote featuring Jordan Ann Craig (Northern Cheyenne), m.s. RedCherries (Northern Cheyenne), and Jordan Poorman Cocker (Kiowa). I’m also looking forward to the  Woven Being: Art for Zhegagoynak/Chicagoland exhibition. I was grateful for the opportunity to contribute a chapter to the exhibition publication, which highlights Chicago’s long history of Indigenous-led art initiatives and programs in the city. I can’t wait to experience the exhibition as a celebration of that history.

Join Jacqueline at her gallery talk for the exhibition “It takes a long time to stay here: Paintings by Jordan Ann Craig” at 12:30pm on March 8, 2025.