Prior to Thomas Edison’s groundbreaking invention of sound recording and playback technology in 1877, the ephemerality of sound meant that it only existed in the moment of its creation. To “record” sound before this time meant it appeared as oral or written descriptions or musical scores. In 2008, Patrick Feaster, a researcher and educator […]
What does an image sound like? This is the question that Northwestern University students sought to answer in an experimental workshop earlier this month. Students in computer science, engineering, sound arts, and art theory and practice joined together for a day-long session with artist Dario Robleto and media historian Patrick Feaster to delve into the […]
Over 350 guests joined artist Hank Willis Thomas at the Block Museum on April 14, 2018 for a talk on his politically charged work and the Block Museum exhibition Hank Willis Thomas: Unbranded. The exhibition brings together selections from two bodies of work: Unbranded: Reflections in Black by Corporate America 1968-2008 and Unbranded: A Century of White […]
Artist and writer Jen Bervin embraces subjects as wide-ranging as the Mississippi River, Emily Dickinson’s poetry, and the history of silk, weaving, and nanotechnology. On February 21, 2018 the artist, Jeanne Dunning, Art Theory & Practice professor, and Susy Bielak, Susan and Stephen Wilson Associate Director of Engagement/Curator of Public Practice, sat down for a conversation about Bervin’s work. In […]
The Block Museum and Kaplan Institute host artist-in-residence throughout winter quarter When artist Jen Bervin first visited Northwestern University’s Block Museum of Art in spring 2017, she launched into a two-day whirlwind tour, taking part in more than 20 conversations with faculty and students that spanned the fields of engineering, nanotechnology, computer science, poetry and art. As […]
On November 29, 2017, the Block Museum was honored to host a special conversation with four contemporary Native artists. Each of the women on the panel works within a collaborative artistic practice that unites artists, community, and audience. From to participatory dance and collective narratives, to asynchronous poetry and public interventions these artists upend the notion […]
Read with the Spine: Experiences & Experiments in Northwestern Libraries Collections Friday, March 2, 1-5pm, Faculty, staff, and students Saturday, March 3, 9am-1pm, Students only This Northwestern University workshop will use the site of the library to explore fundamental questions about human experiences and the nature of books and libraries themselves, such as: What does […]
Academy Award-nominated director Raoul Peck screened and discussed his documentary I Am Not Your Negro at Block Cinema space Monday, October 16. The screening presented in partnership with the MFA in Documentary Media Program, was part of the Fall 2017 series New Docs focusing on innovation in documentary media. The documentary, which showcases the work of […]
Contemporary artist and designer Abraham Cruzvillegas visited Northwestern in late October 2017 to take part in Northwestern Engineering’s Dean Seminar Series at the McCormick School of Engineering and a Chicago Architecture Biennial lecture co-presented by the Department of Art, Theory and Practice and the Block Museum of Art. Cruzvillegas is one of the most important conceptual […]
Dario Robleto is a transdisciplinary artist, storyteller, and “citizen-scientist” whose research-driven practice results in intricately handcrafted objects that reflect his exploration of music, popular culture, science, war, and American history. Since 1997, Robleto has exhibited his work in museums and galleries across the United States, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of […]