In the heart of the South Side of Chicago, an 85-acre area abutting a railyard means different things to different people. For more than 400 African American families, it is home. For Norfolk Southern railroad company, it is space to expand its train-to-truck intermodal depot. The 2018 documentary The Area tells a story that’s well known […]
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Artist: Michael Schwab (German, born 1966)Title: Die grossen Turner aus der Heidburg mit den “Bananen-Bäuchen”, Siegfried u. Kunigunde vom Lehrer gennant (The great gymnasts of Heidburg with the “banana-bellies”—called Siegfried and Kunigunde by their teacher), from the series Erinnern (Remembering)Date: 1993Medium: Gelatin silver printDimensions: 24 x 19 15/16 in.Credit line: Mary and Leigh Block Museum […]
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Prem Kapoor’s 1971 Hindi film Badnam Basti (Alley of Ill Repute) is considered one of the first Indian films to explore queer relationships. Based on a novel by Hindi writer Kamleshwar Prasad Saxena, it centers on a love triangle between two men and one woman on the margins of society. The film is noted for its adventurous […]
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Title: Hotei at Dusk (Higure Hotei), from the series The Seven Gods of Fortune (Toto shichi fukujin no uchi)Artist: Utagawa SadatoraNationality: Japanese, ca. flourished 1818-44Date: ca. 1820sMedium: Color Woodcut, 14 1/4 in x 9 3/4 inCredit: Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, purchase funds provided by Connie and Tom Hodson Sadatora […]
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In Summer 2020, The Block Museum of Art is thrilled to be among Chicago arts and cultural organizations partnering with the Northwestern Chicago Humanities Initiative (CHI). The CHI program prepares the next generation of humanities scholars to develop community partnerships, reach diverse audiences, and become powerful civic leaders. Through an eight-week internship with an arts, […]
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The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University welcomes Erin Northington as the Susan and Stephen Wilson Associate Director of Campus and Community Education and Engagement. Northington comes to The Block from Harvard University where she served as the Assistant Director of Student Programs and Campus Initiatives at the Harvard Art Museums and has held […]
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In November 2019, The Block welcomed Toronto-based filmmaker Brett Story for two nights of her acclaimed documentary films and conversation on her groundbreaking practice. The Prison in Twelve Landscapes (2016) explores the criminal justice system and mass incarceration in the U.S. from a number of oblique vantage points, rather than focusing on prisons themselves. Story looks […]
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When the Spring 2020 exhibitions could not go forward as planned due to COVID-19 closure, The Block Museum and its scheduled installation team found innovative new ways to make meaning together. No exhibition installation period ever feels like standard procedure even in routine times. There are unique problems to solve and troubleshoot; plans that go […]
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Multilingual, minimal computing project brings exhibition to African partners and users worldwide What crosses continents, can travel 13 centuries into the past, and takes up just 10 MB on a smartphone? The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University has released a free mobile web app designed to share the groundbreaking touring exhibition Caravans of […]
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The Block Museum Student Docent Program is made up of students from across Northwestern University that serve as the museum’s tour guides and ambassadors. In Spring 2020, the program continues online as students connect, research, and plan in support of the Museum’s mission. We reached out to this team to learn more about their current […]
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