The Block Museum of Art is honored to be included in Community Engagement Case Studies: 2024, a new publication from Art Design Chicago and the Terra Foundation for American Art. The report highlights five cultural organizations across Chicago that are reimagining community collaboration and engagement in the arts.

The Block’s case study focuses on the multi-year development of Woven Being: Art for Zhegagoynak/Chicagoland, an exhibition co-created with four Indigenous artists and shaped through dialogue with Indigenous knowledge holders, students, faculty, and community members. The publication details the museum’s efforts to embed community voices throughout the curatorial process, from early visioning sessions and institutional reflection to long-term commitments and partnerships.

As noted in the case study, co-curator Janet Dees shared:

“Usually the curatorial team presents the idea… and they bring people in to comment… We started in reverse, [asking] who are the people we should talk to who have a stake in what this might be? And then from those conversations, we developed an approach to the exhibition and what it should be.”

This case study, shared with colleagues nationally, highlights how The Block draws on its position as an academic art museum to model new approaches that may resonate across the museum field. As the publication states, “The Block sought to model a form of community engagement that does not end once an exhibition closes but continues to grow and adapt.”

The Block is featured alongside peer institutions, including the Chicago Public Library, Design Museum of Chicago, National Museum of Mexican Art, and Red Line Service—organizations working collectively to strengthen relationships between arts institutions and the communities they serve.

Read the full publication below:

About Art Design Chicago

Art Design Chicago is a special citywide collaboration and series of events and exhibitions that highlight  the city’s unique artistic heritage and creative communities. An initiative of the Terra Foundation for  American Art in partnership with artists and arts organizations across the city, Art Design Chicago seeks  to expand narratives of American art with an emphasis on the city’s diverse and vibrant creative cultures  and the stories they tell. Learn more at artdesignchicago.org.  

The Terra Foundation for American Art, established in 1978 and having offices in Chicago and Paris, supports organizations and individuals locally and globally with the aim of fostering intercultural dialogues and  encouraging transformative practices that expand narratives of American art, through the foundation’s grant  program, collection, and initiatives. Learn more at terraamericanart.org.