Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #215 (1973) is a site-specific “location drawing” realized directly on the gallery wall through a set of written instructions. One of roughly 1,350 wall drawing instructions LeWitt produced, the work reflects his belief that the idea behind a work of art is as central as its final appearance. Because each installation […]
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The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University has received a major gift from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation: 201 black-and-white photographs by the artist team Shunk-Kender and photographer Harry Shunk, documenting some of the most transformative moments in postwar art. This is the largest single gift of vintage photographic prints ever received by the museum […]
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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 […]
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The Block Museum is pleased to announce that its Collection Council has selected and supported for acquisition works by Martin Wong and Sammy Baloji. The Collection Council convened virtually throughout the 2024–25 academic year, debating and narrowing down a shortlist of artists nominated by its members and The Block’s curatorial team. Focused on works reflecting […]
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The 2024-2025 Block Museum Student Associate (BMSA) cohort is pleased to announce the acquisition of three works by Chitra Ganesh (b. 1975) from her series She the Question (2012). The Student Associates select artwork for acquisition each academic year, allowing students to learn about how a university museum acquires work and engage firsthand in the […]
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The Block Museum of Art is pleased to announce several acquisitions over the course of 2023, 2024 and 2025 related to the exhibition Woven Being: Art for Zhegagoynak/Chicagoland. The acquired works include pieces from the four Woven Being collaborating artists —Andrea Carlson (Grand Portage Ojibwe/European descent), Kelly Church (Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi/Ottawa), Nora Moore Lloyd […]
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The Block Museum of Art has acquired Sharp Tongue: Used to Cut Deep (2024), a 70 x 70-inch acrylic painting by Northern Cheyenne artist Jordan Ann Craig in conjunction with the exhibition it takes a long time to stay here: Paintings by Jordan Ann Craig (January 25-April 13, 2015) Craig’s practice is deeply rooted in […]
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The Block Museum is excited to announce the Collection Council’s acquisition of four new works for its permanent collection. These selections—two photographs by Tom Jones and two by Widline Cadet—align with the museum’s new strategic plan, which emphasizes collections-based teaching, interdisciplinary learning, and campus partnerships.
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“…if you should ever doubt that a series of dry words in a government document can shatter spirits and demolish lives, let this book erase that doubt. Conversely, if you should be of the conviction that we are powerless to change those dry words, let this book give you heart.” — Louise Erdrich, The Night […]
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Following a ten-week decision process through the winter and spring quarters and a four-week advance research module in the fall, the Block Museum Student Associates (BMSA) are excited to announce the acquisition of two new works for The Block’s collection as part of its annual Student Acquisition program. The works are: TV Indians (2017) and […]
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