The Block Museum - Your Gift of Art

What’s Inside

The Block?

Your Gift of

ART

“THE BLOCK IS...

AN EXPERIMENTER

ONE OF NORTHWESTERN’S LIVING ROOMS

A CONVENOR OF ALL A HUB, THINGS VISUAL A COLLABORATOR, A CONNECTOR

A BEACON, A BRIDGE

AN ARENA FOR DIALOGUE

A LOUNGE FOR INFORMAL CONVERSATIONS THAT LEAD WHO KNOWS WHERE

NORTHWESTERN’S FRONT PORCH

AN INTERDISCIPLINARY POWERHOUSE

”

“ A work of art is a frame of reference, as the world around us changes so does the conversation about the same piece.

The conversation is dynamic, one can learn about the past the present and perhaps impact the future. I donate art to the Block so new conversations can begin and grow in a place where both teaching and learning are valued.”

Diane Solomon, ’10 P, ’15 P, Block Museum Advisory Board Member

“ I chose to donate a work to the Block’s collection because I trust its curators and educators to delve into the compelling and complex stories embodied in the work to enrich teaching, inspire students, and spark collaborations and conversations across the Northwestern campus.”

Kate Ezra, ’83 PhD, Block Museum Advisory

Board Member, formerly Nolen Curator of Education and Academic Affairs at Yale University Art Gallery

Student Curated Exhibitions The Block Collection provides formative experiential learning opportunities including active use in exhibitions curated by students and dedicated classes across the university.

“ My wife, Andra, and I are donating the bulk of our collection to the Block. We know this ever-vibrant museum will use it for teaching. The art people collect reflects who they are. In a sense, a part of us will live on and flourish in the art we give to the Block.”

Irwin Press, PhD ’59, Block Museum Advisory Board Member

Eloise W. Martin Study Center Our Eloise W. Martin Study Center is a special classroom inside the Block that offers an intimate setting for the study and use of artwork in the museum’s collection.

“ The Block is more than just a museum. It is the connective tissue to so many other communities at Northwestern. It brings entire departments, disciplines, and schools into conversation. In this way, the Block is transformational.”

Jonathan Holloway, Provost

Research Access Educators in fields as varied as performance studies, journalism, and material science visit our collection and access our online database to teach visual literacy, develop critical thinking skills, and draw thematic connections.

“ The Block’s leadership in supporting artists-asresearchers, and building the space in their institution for them to flourish, will greatly benefit engagement and interpretation of artists’ work in the way it was intended.”

Dario Robleto, Artist

“ The Block Museum has become a central part of the creative Northwestern network, serving as a catalyst for expanding connections at the interface of art and other fields. It not only showcases the outputs of creative thinking, but plays an active role in changing the culture of Northwestern” Julio M. Ottino, Dean,

McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

Resource for Campus and Community The Block Museum’s collection provides an innovative and active teaching and learning resource for the University and its surrounding communities.

The Block Museum houses a collection of over 6,000 artworks. With a foundation in works on paper, including prints, drawings, and photographs, in recent years the Block has expanded its collection with acquisitions of contemporary art across media by an international array of artists. Recent gifts and purchases have included videos, sculpture, drawings, photographs, and installations by artists such as Paul Chan, Omar Victor Diop, Felix Gonzalez Torres, Catherine Opie, and Carrie Mae Weems. Building upon these strengths the Block continues to seek gifts of art that connect to Northwestern’s broad curriculum and deepen our representation of modern and contemporary culture globally and from diverse perspectives.

Expanding and deepening the collection will allow the museum to better serve an increasing number of academic departments and to offer new opportunities for students and faculty to engage with the collection through class visits, original research, and exhibition-making.

Ways to Give The Block welcomes proposed gifts of art to enhance its collection. Key criteria for accepting a work include artistic excellence, the potential for teaching and learning, relevance to the collection, the state of conservation, and Northwestern’s capacity to care for the work of art. Northwestern’s development staff can assist you with your proposed gift of art, including information regarding the benefits of bequests and outright gifts for you and the University.

Please contact Elisa Quinlan, the Block’s Director of Development at elisa.quinlan@northwestern.edu for more information.

BLOCK MUSEUM OF ART 40 ARTS CIRCLE DRIVE, EVANSTON, IL 60208

blockmuseum.northwestern.edu