In 2023, The Arts Council of the African Studies Association (ACASA)’s working group on Collaboration, Collections, and Restitution Best Practices for North American Museums Holding African Objects (CCRBP) embarked on a series of listening sessions to better understand the needs of African-based colleagues. Kathleen Bickford Berzock, Block Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, and her colleagues […]
Read more
In January 2024, The Block was excited to welcome Christiana Castillo to its team as Manager of Public Programs. A poet, gardener and, of course, lover of the arts, Christiana brings a rich background in community engagement and public health to her work with The Block. We sat down with Christiana to learn more about […]
Read more
Artist Bethany Collins is fascinated with language as a malleable subject, sculpting words as other artists might shape clay into a sculpture. “I love language,” Collins says. “The faith that I can claim is a kind of faith in language for its capacity to connect us. At its best, if we can find just […]
Read more
As an institution focused on teaching and learning, The Block relies on digital platforms to provide visitors with access to its rich collection of artworks and their accompanying educational resources. Theo Maurino (Computer Science and Philosophy, ’26), The Block’s Curatorial Research Aide, provides vital support in the upkeep of digital resources and initiatives, including […]
Read more
Block Cinema hosts over 40 free screening events a year, a busy calendar made possible by an incredible team of Visitors Services and support staff, including student-worker Autumn Rose (SoC ’24). We sat down with Autumn to learn a little about her background and how work with the Cinema has shaped her Northwestern Direction. 1. Can […]
Read more
American exhibitions that showcase African art often exhibit work that is housed in the collections of American or Western institutions. It is still somewhat rare for American institutions to borrow loans directly from African museums and cultural sites. In 2019, The Block presented the groundbreaking Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across […]
Read more
The Block welcomes Ruslana Lichtzier as the 2023-24 art history graduate fellow. Ruslana is a doctoral candidate in Art History at Northwestern, as well as a Mellon fellow in MENA Studies, and in Critical Theory Studies. In her work with The Block she is working with Academic Curator, Corinne Granof, to curate a Fall 2024 […]
Read more
This fall, The Block is thrilled to welcome Ben Creech to the staff as Film / Video and Audio Technician. Ben runs the projection booth in collaboration with the Block Cinema team, casting images onto the screen, managing light and sound for public events, assisting faculty with tech in the auditorium, and overseeing other technical […]
Read more
The Block welcomes Madison Brown, a doctoral student in the Department of Screen Cultures, as the museum’s 2023-2024 graduate interdisciplinary fellow. Madison Brown’s research explores the politics of amateur media cultures through theories of memory, domesticity, and everyday life. Madison holds an MA in Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto. We took a moment to sit down […]
Read more
The Block Museum of Art is in the midst of researching and planning a 2025 exhibition with the working title Woven Being: Indigenous Art in Chicagoland. The exhibition planning process has centered Indigenous methodologies that prioritize collaboration, reciprocity, and sustained dialogue. This includes planning by a curatorial team including; Jordan Poorman Cocker ([Gáuigú (Kiowa)), Terra Foundation Guest […]
Read more