The Block Museum of Art is thrilled to welcome Margaret Sagan as Assistant Director of Public Programs. In this new role, Margaret will lead the development and production of museum programming at The Block. We took a moment to sit down with Margaret and learn more about her work.

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

I came to The Block from the Weinberg College Center for International & Area Studies here at Northwestern, where I coordinated the visiting speaker series for Latin American & Caribbean Studies (LACS) and Middle East and North African Studies (MENA).  I deeply appreciated working closely with faculty at LACS and MENA and thinking through compelling programs that spoke to our graduate students.  Coming to The Block is a return to museum work for me- I previously worked at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) for 10 years, in progressively more responsible roles in Film & Video, Cultural Arts, and Visitor Services.  At NMAI we were able to support and give a platform to emerging artists, and it’s been very satisfying for me to watch their careers blossom.

I earned my master’s degree from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs.  My undergraduate degree is from the University of New Mexico, where I majored in Anthropology and minored in English and Native American Studies.

How did you find your way to museum work?

Shortly after moving to New York, I volunteered at NMAI’s Native American Film and Video Festival.  The portraits of contemporary Indigenous communities in the films screened at the festival were very refreshing to me, and the whole atmosphere of the festival reminded me of the vibrant cultural production and Indigenous community in New Mexico, where I had previously lived and which I missed.  My work at the festival led to a job in the Film & Video Center.  I made close friends and learned so much about film, and I still have strong relationships with colleagues and friends I met through my first formative job at a museum. 

What particularly interests you about working within the context of a campus art museum?

The research environment at Northwestern University is outstanding, and you can meet many scholars and students with unique and informed perspectives on arts and culture.  This is an ideal environment to work together on innovative programming.

What drew you to The Block Museum? What are you looking forward to working on?

I wanted to be back in a museum environment where I could bring my ideas to the fore and work closely with artists.  I am super excited for our Helen Frankenthaler show in the fall and to work with the scholars and artists who will come discuss her work.  Frankenthaler made beautiful pieces, and her innovations still influence artists today.  I’ve enjoyed learning more about her work, and I can’t wait for our audiences to have the same opportunity.

What museum exhibitions or programs have inspired you lately?

The smell of sweetgrass in the Woven Being exhibition evokes northern Ontario to me. My family gathers in the summers there at a lake adjacent to Mississauga First Nation, an Anishinaabe community. I love that we are bringing the sounds and scents of the Great Lakes region into the galleries and that the Woven Being artists have designed an installation environment imbued with cultural significance. 

Public programs are valuable because they give attendees an entry to learn more about the artistic process and the choices that go into creating a work of art.  I like learning about the problem-solving artists must do while making their pieces.

Probably my favorite exhibition I have ever been to was Matisse Picasso at MoMA Queens because the audio tour with the curators was so memorable.  I was delighted by John Elderfield and Kirk Varnedoe’s willingness to disagree with one another throughout the audio tour, communicating to the listener that knowledge and interpretation are not fixed entities but a space where we can debate and challenge one another and change our minds.  The audio tour was so much fun for me that I ended up reading Varnedoe’s work A Fine Disregard: What Makes Modern Art Modern.  I came to admire how his mind worked and the way his writing style taught people to look at and assess objects for themselves. The balance of education and entertainment in his approach is also something I strive for when putting together museum programs.

Is there a work in The Block’s collection that has stuck with you or resonated in some way?

I like Jordan Ann Craig’s piece “Sharp Tongue: Used to Cut Deep.”  It’s technically masterful and catches the eye.  Craig’s life in northern New Mexico is as colorful as her paintings, and I enjoyed hearing her describe her studio practice during her recent visit to Northwestern.

What are your upcoming goals for your role? 

I’m excited about shaping programs that place The Block in the national and international conversation about featured artists.  I love researching the scholarship surrounding artists and thinking about how we can drive vital conversations forward.

 How do you approach engaging different audiences in your programs? 

I try to always think about how a program looks for a viewer, and about how to make learning entertaining. Paying close attention and making new connections is an emotionally rewarding experience, and our job is to facilitate that. There should be moments for social interaction, and reflection. The subject matter should be very compelling. We should be asking hard questions and giving people space to draw their own conclusions.

Can you share a past project or event you’ve worked on that you’re particularly proud of?

For Obama’s first inauguration, I was on the Smithsonian team that put together Out of Many: A Multicultural Festival of Music, Dance, and Story, a pan-Smithsonian festival featuring all different groups performing at the National Museum of the American Indian.  We included everything from Maasai dance to Native American drumming.  It was such a happy weekend in DC, and I was thrilled to work cross-institutionally with a wide range of participants and contribute to a satisfying inauguration weekend.

Another program I found absolutely thrilling was bringing Sharel Cassity to DC for a Jazz Appreciation Month tribute to bassist Oscar Pettiford.  Sharel is a Cherokee saxophonist, and her work is incredible.  She has a new album out, Gratitude, with Christian McBride, Lewis Nash, Cyrus Chestnut, Terell Stafford, and Michael Dease.

How do you see museums evolving in the next few years, and what role do you hope to play in that evolution?

I love the plans at The Block to draw Engagement programming, Curatorial, and Block Cinema closer together.  A great strength of Northwestern is that we have so many talented staff and faculty with a true passion for and deep knowledge of the arts.  I look forward to working closely with colleagues to create multi-media experiences and multi-tiered programming for visitors.