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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The Block Museum of Art is happy to announce that it is one of 10 new recipients of works through the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s Frankenthaler Prints Initiative, an ongoing program for university-affiliated art museums that reflects the foundation’s commitment to supporting undergraduate and graduate education in the visual arts and art history. Each of the […]
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Artist: Jacob Lawrence (American, 1917 – 2000)Title: The Birth of Toussaint, from the series The Life of Toussaint L’OuvertureDate: 1986Medium: Color screenprintCredit Line: Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Gift of Evelyn Salk, in memory of her husband Erwin A. Salk, 2001.13.2. During the early 20th-century, the Harlem Renaissance was defined by a convergence of heightened geopolitical […]
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The Block Museum is excited to announce the purchase of three works for its permanent collection, acquired through its newly formed Collection Council. These acquisitions—which include two works by photographer LaToya Ruby Frazier and one work by photographer An-My Lê—represent the museum’s commitment to acquiring works that activate teaching, learning, and research using The Block’s […]
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The Block Museum of Art partners with colleague institutions nationally and internationally to loan works from its collection for select exhibition projects. The Block’s Academic Curator, Corinne Granof spotlights a recent visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to view works on loan to the museum. Earlier this year, two works in The […]
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Artist: Hendrik Goudt (Dutch, ca. 1585 – 1648) after Adam Elsheimer (German, 1578 – 1610)Title: The Mocking of Ceres (also called Ceres Seeking Her Daughter)Date: 1610Medium: Engraving on paperCredit Line: Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, 2009.16 Hendrik Goudt’s The Mocking of Ceres (also called) from 1610 takes place in a dark and dense forest with tree […]
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As part of her 2023 Block Curatorial Internship Elizabeth Vazquez (’24 Anthropology and History) conducted research around potential museum acquisitions. Her work came to focus on the photographer Laura Aguilar, and in Spring 2023 Vazquez successfully presented a justification to the Block Acquisition Committee to accession three works by the artist into the museum collection. […]
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Artist: Laura Aguilar (Chicana, 1959–2018)Title: Motion #53Date: 1999Medium: Gelatin silver printDimensions: 11 x 14 inchesCredit line: Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Julie and Lawrence Bernstein Family Art Acquisition Fund Purchase, 2023.3.1. Image copyright of The Estate of Laura Aguilar. The artist Laura Aguilar once said that she felt most comfortable in […]
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Throughout 2022-23, a series of talks consider works from The Block’s collection that reckon with the history of slavery, white supremacy, symbols of nationhood, and social inequity. This online talk was held in connection with 2022–23 One Book One Northwestern (OBON) selection How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across […]
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As part of her 2023 Block Curatorial Internship Vitoria Monteiro de Carvalho Faria conducted original research within the museum collection. Her investigation into the visual and thematic connections between two prints resulted in an installation in the Block’s conference space. Faria shares the intriguing alignment she curated at the museum. Although separated by 150 years, […]
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