The Block Museum has recently received a significant bequest from the estate of Thomas J. Hamilton (1931–2022) (MBA ’79), a Washington, DC, theater artist, playwright, and director of the Source Theatre who was also a dedicated collector of modern and contemporary works on paper. Hamilton grew up in the Midwest and maintained connections to Chicago throughout his life, a fact reflected in his collection’s inclusion of important works by Chicagoland artists.
The Hamilton Bequest encompasses 67 artworks by 46 artists, with an emphasis on prints but including paintings and other media. This gift strengthens the museum’s holdings in works on paper, expands representation of midwest regional artists, and provides new opportunities for integration into teaching and research across the university.
Bequests of this kind represent an important dimension of collection growth at academic museums. They extend the histories a museum can tell, provide new primary sources for student engagement, and invite curatorial staff and faculty to think about how artworks resonate across disciplines.
Selected Works of Note
The museum is integrating the Hamilton gift into its collection through a process of close research and selective emphasis, identifying works that open particularly rich pathways for teaching and scholarship. Some of our first research works include:
Louise Bourgeois, Spider (1995), drypoint. An iconic image from a major 20th-century artist, adding a strong touchpoint for courses on modern sculpture and printmaking technique.
Shirley Woodson, Seeking Softer Light (1994), lithograph. A lyrical work by the Detroit painter and educator whose Chicago connections make it a natural fit for regional art histories and Black arts curricula.
Eric Avery, The Face of Liberty, linocut printed on a museum poster. Produced during the AIDS crisis, this politically charged print critiques celebratory national narratives and invites discussion of art as public health advocacy.
Sue Coe, Health Care (1991), photo etching. A work representative of Coe’s social justice practice and a springboard for class conversations about visual rhetoric and policy.
Roger Brown, Young Fisherman with Two Chinook (Steve) (1985), oil on canvas. A lakeshore-evoking sky and silhouette that connects to Chicagoland subjects and to Brown’s larger body of work, admired by regional audiences.
The gift also includes works by Ivan Albright, Phyllis Bramson, Audrey Niffenegger, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Henry Moore, and others, offering a range of case studies for teaching and learning on themes from postwar art, the history of printmaking, and contemporary visual culture.
Research and Curricular Integration of the Hamilton Bequest
Since the bequest arrived, the curatorial team has undertaken a phased program of research. From the 67 works entering the collection—primarily prints with select paintings—a first round has been identified for immediate study. Each completed curatorial report consolidates artist context, contextual notes, and related scholarship, ensuring that we can quickly identify curricular alignments in dialogue with faculty and incorporate the works into teaching. Interns and fellows are also engaged in this work, developing skills in cataloguing and primary-source research while contributing to the broader accessibility of the bequest.
Curatorial Associate Llewyn Blossfeld emphasizes the generative nature of this research process. “I am not attempting to provide the definitive interpretation of these objects; my role is to leave breadcrumbs for others to follow. A report may highlight a biography, a process note, or a related exhibition catalogue, so that students and faculty have clear points of entry when a particular thread resonates.” Blossfeld notes that the prioritization of research has been guided by pedagogical considerations: “We asked which works would resonate most strongly in the classroom and how they intersect with existing holdings. In some cases, this meant highlighting known artists, but often it was the lesser-known works whose narratives opened the richest avenues for inquiry.”
This focus reflects the museum’s broader mission. The bequest was explicitly intended to “support and enhance [The Block’s] education program,” and it is already serving as a resource for Northwestern courses. As articulated in The Block’s vision, the museum seeks to be considered fundamental to teaching, learning, and research across all of Northwestern’s schools. The Hamilton Bequest offers a powerful platform to advance this aspiration, ensuring that new works are not only preserved but actively mobilized in support of dialogue, discovery, and scholarship.
“When new works enter the collection, our foremost responsibility is building a strong starting point for ongoing research,” says Kathleen Bickford Berzock, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs. “We map each object to teaching and research strengths at Northwestern, so that we can connect the works to the interests of faculty and students. In this way, a bequest becomes not only an expansion of the collection but a living resource for scholarship and pedagogy.”
The Block expresses its deep gratitude to the estate of Thomas J. Hamilton for this generous gift, which affirms the museum’s role as a site where collection growth, scholarship, and pedagogy intersect. Through sustained research and curricular integration, these new acquisitions will serve not only as objects of study but also as catalysts for future teaching and inquiry across Northwestern.
