Teaching and Learning AT T H E B L O C K M U S E U M O F A R T
Block curator Janet Dees shares the work of Shan Goshorn during a gallery talk for If You Remember, I’ll Remember, 2017.
WHO WE ARE The Block is Northwestern’s art museum and an active teaching and learning resource for the University’s faculty and students. Its global exhibition program crosses time periods and cultures. At the Block, art serves as a springboard for thought-provoking discussions relevant to our lives today. The museum also commissions new work by artists to foster connections between the campus and the public through the creative process. Each year, the Block mounts exhibitions; organizes and hosts lectures, symposia, and workshops involving artists, scholars, curators, and critics; and screens classic, experimental, and contemporary films at its in-house cinema. The Block reaches national and international audiences through its traveling exhibitions, publications, and website. The Block’s growing permanent collection of approximately 6,000 works focuses primarily on prints, photography, and drawings. Works can be seen by appointment in the museum’s Eloise W. Martin Study Center.
C O N N ECT W ITH US
W E LC O M E TO TH E B LO C K , W H E RE W E AS K :
fields of human endeavor and creativity intersect in unexpected ways to yield entirely
“How do
new ways of thinking?”
We aspire to connect with every department and school at Northwestern and to make the Block meaningful to your work and to your students. We actively seek faculty ideas for projects and programs. Faculty who have worked with the Block come from departments as diverse as Anthropology, Art History, English, and Music, and Schools as diverse as Engineering, Law, and Journalism. We also connect faculty to one another to develop projects and exchange ideas on how to incorporate museum experiences into teaching and research. We can introduce you to other faculty members who have worked with the Block, teaching with its exhibitions, using its collections in their research, and creating public programs. Our door is open—we look forward to working with you.
Block curator Janet Dees shares the work of Shan Goshorn during a gallery talk for If You Remember, I’ll Remember, 2017.
WHO WE ARE The Block is Northwestern’s art museum and an active teaching and learning resource for the University’s faculty and students. Its global exhibition program crosses time periods and cultures. At the Block, art serves as a springboard for thought-provoking discussions relevant to our lives today. The museum also commissions new work by artists to foster connections between the campus and the public through the creative process. Each year, the Block mounts exhibitions; organizes and hosts lectures, symposia, and workshops involving artists, scholars, curators, and critics; and screens classic, experimental, and contemporary films at its in-house cinema. The Block reaches national and international audiences through its traveling exhibitions, publications, and website. The Block’s growing permanent collection of approximately 6,000 works focuses primarily on prints, photography, and drawings. Works can be seen by appointment in the museum’s Eloise W. Martin Study Center.
C O N N ECT W ITH US
W E LC O M E TO TH E B LO C K , W H E RE W E AS K :
fields of human endeavor and creativity intersect in unexpected ways to yield entirely
“How do
new ways of thinking?”
We aspire to connect with every department and school at Northwestern and to make the Block meaningful to your work and to your students. We actively seek faculty ideas for projects and programs. Faculty who have worked with the Block come from departments as diverse as Anthropology, Art History, English, and Music, and Schools as diverse as Engineering, Law, and Journalism. We also connect faculty to one another to develop projects and exchange ideas on how to incorporate museum experiences into teaching and research. We can introduce you to other faculty members who have worked with the Block, teaching with its exhibitions, using its collections in their research, and creating public programs. Our door is open—we look forward to working with you.
EXHIBITION RESOURCES time with our staff to • Schedule learn about upcoming exhibitions and discuss your curricular goals.
with our staff to design class • Meet visits, course assignments, and
programs that integrate exhibitions into courses. In addition to papers and presentation assignments, past faculty collaborations have resulted in performances, readings, and symposia.
class visits independently • Lead in our galleries, or schedule tours crafted specifically for you and your students.
exhibition-related student • Submit writing and research for publication on the Block Museum blog.
a departmental visit or • Host reception in conjunction with exhibitions.
us to discuss your ideas • Contact for a class-curated exhibition, or
exhibition ideas that emerge from your research.
C O L L ECTI O N RESOURCES
The Block presents exhibitions and programs that resonate with the curriculum, research, and resources of Northwestern University. We welcome a range of involvement, from bringing your class for a guided tour, to developing courses relating to existing exhibitions.
• Search the Block collection online. time to preview artwork • Schedule and discuss your curricular goals. us for assistance with the • Contact selection of artwork and support in teaching with art. course or research visits to the • Plan Eloise W. Martin Study Center.
Seneca artist Marie Watt shares her work Witness with a student during the opening of If You Remember, I’ll Remember, 2017.
Engineering professor Marc Walton, Block curator Essi Rönkkö, and a student in the Eloise W. Martin Study Center during the course Materiality of Art and Archaeology, 2016.
collections-related student • Share writing and research on the Block Museum blog.
Our Eloise W. Martin Study Center is a special classroom inside the museum that offers an intimate setting for the study and use of artwork in the Block’s collection. Faculty in fields as varied as global health, journalism, and material science have visited our collection to teach close investigation, develop visual literacy, and draw thematic connections. We will help you select artwork based on your research interests and curricular goals— drawing from the museum’s collection of nearly 6,000 works that range from computer-generated prints to works on paper by South African “Township artists” of the early 1990s. The Eloise W. Martin Study Center is equipped with a sound system and digital projector for class visits and discussions.
EXHIBITION RESOURCES time with our staff to • Schedule learn about upcoming exhibitions and discuss your curricular goals.
with our staff to design class • Meet visits, course assignments, and
programs that integrate exhibitions into courses. In addition to papers and presentation assignments, past faculty collaborations have resulted in performances, readings, and symposia.
class visits independently • Lead in our galleries, or schedule tours crafted specifically for you and your students.
exhibition-related student • Submit writing and research for publication on the Block Museum blog.
a departmental visit or • Host reception in conjunction with exhibitions.
us to discuss your ideas • Contact for a class-curated exhibition, or
exhibition ideas that emerge from your research.
C O L L ECTI O N RESOURCES
The Block presents exhibitions and programs that resonate with the curriculum, research, and resources of Northwestern University. We welcome a range of involvement, from bringing your class for a guided tour, to developing courses relating to existing exhibitions.
• Search the Block collection online. time to preview artwork • Schedule and discuss your curricular goals. us for assistance with the • Contact selection of artwork and support in teaching with art. course or research visits to the • Plan Eloise W. Martin Study Center.
Seneca artist Marie Watt shares her work Witness with a student during the opening of If You Remember, I’ll Remember, 2017.
Engineering professor Marc Walton, Block curator Essi Rönkkö, and a student in the Eloise W. Martin Study Center during the course Materiality of Art and Archaeology, 2016.
collections-related student • Share writing and research on the Block Museum blog.
Our Eloise W. Martin Study Center is a special classroom inside the museum that offers an intimate setting for the study and use of artwork in the Block’s collection. Faculty in fields as varied as global health, journalism, and material science have visited our collection to teach close investigation, develop visual literacy, and draw thematic connections. We will help you select artwork based on your research interests and curricular goals— drawing from the museum’s collection of nearly 6,000 works that range from computer-generated prints to works on paper by South African “Township artists” of the early 1990s. The Eloise W. Martin Study Center is equipped with a sound system and digital projector for class visits and discussions.
PUBLIC P R ACTI C E artists who are engaged with • Invite the Block to visit your classes. in and engage your • Participate students in Block-organized artist projects. in seminars, workshops, • Participate social events, and other activities involving visiting artists. with the Block to develop • Partner projects, engage artists as educators, and integrate artists’ research into your curriculum.
The Block’s program includes a commitment to public practice—art that is collaborative, process-based, participatory, and involves people as the medium or material of the work. These projects, which typically take place beyond the museum’s walls, often address personal or collective histories and current social and political issues. The Block actively seeks opportunities to connect artists with faculty research, student interests, and campus resources such as the Northwestern Libraries. These interactions contribute to the development of artists’ work while engaging students, faculty, and the public in artists’ creative processes.
Internationally renowned artist, dancer, choreographer, and writer Simone Forti works with a student during her two-day creative writing and movement workshop, 2016.
Ph.D. Performance Studies student Didier Morelli performs during the Block’s Performed in the Present Tense symposium, 2016.
PUBLIC P R ACTI C E artists who are engaged with • Invite the Block to visit your classes. in and engage your • Participate students in Block-organized artist projects. in seminars, workshops, • Participate social events, and other activities involving visiting artists. with the Block to develop • Partner projects, engage artists as educators, and integrate artists’ research into your curriculum.
The Block’s program includes a commitment to public practice—art that is collaborative, process-based, participatory, and involves people as the medium or material of the work. These projects, which typically take place beyond the museum’s walls, often address personal or collective histories and current social and political issues. The Block actively seeks opportunities to connect artists with faculty research, student interests, and campus resources such as the Northwestern Libraries. These interactions contribute to the development of artists’ work while engaging students, faculty, and the public in artists’ creative processes.
Internationally renowned artist, dancer, choreographer, and writer Simone Forti works with a student during her two-day creative writing and movement workshop, 2016.
Ph.D. Performance Studies student Didier Morelli performs during the Block’s Performed in the Present Tense symposium, 2016.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Our in-house cinema is dedicated to providing Northwestern, the North Shore, and Chicago a quality venue for film ranging from classic to contemporary and from local to global. Programs are often introduced by a filmmaker or scholar, providing the unique opportunity for audiences to gain valuable context about the works. We partner regularly with faculty to design screenings of relevance to their courses, and specifically to take advantage of our state-of-the-art projection booth.
our public programs into • Integrate your course curriculum through
student attendance and follow-up discussions.
with us as faculty and • Partner departments to develop programs
and experiential learning of relevance to your classes and students.
directly with visiting • Engage speakers in seminars, social
gatherings, and cross-disciplinary workshops.
and participate in timely • Initiate conversations.
BLOCK CINEMA screenings into course • Integrate curriculum through student attendance and follow-up discussions. with us to develop • Partner programs of relevance to courses and students. directly with visiting • Engage filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, technicians, and film scholars in seminars, social gatherings, and cross-disciplinary workshops.
Artist Walter Kitundu with a Medill School of Journalism student during the program Tracing the Building, 2016.
We offer an extensive schedule of free public programs during the academic year, including conversations, readings, lectures, symposia, and performances involving artists, scholars, curators, and critics. We also commission artists to develop connections between the campus and the wider public through the creative process. We convene discussions that place art in a broader social, political, and cultural context. We invite you to partner with us to create unique learning opportunities and to host timely conversations of relevance.
Professor Hamid Naficy and Block media arts curator Michelle Puetz with faculty, students, and members of the public for the opening of Naficy’s exhibition Salaam Cinema! 50 Years of Iranian Movie Posters, 2016.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Our in-house cinema is dedicated to providing Northwestern, the North Shore, and Chicago a quality venue for film ranging from classic to contemporary and from local to global. Programs are often introduced by a filmmaker or scholar, providing the unique opportunity for audiences to gain valuable context about the works. We partner regularly with faculty to design screenings of relevance to their courses, and specifically to take advantage of our state-of-the-art projection booth.
our public programs into • Integrate your course curriculum through
student attendance and follow-up discussions.
with us as faculty and • Partner departments to develop programs
and experiential learning of relevance to your classes and students.
directly with visiting • Engage speakers in seminars, social
gatherings, and cross-disciplinary workshops.
and participate in timely • Initiate conversations.
BLOCK CINEMA screenings into course • Integrate curriculum through student attendance and follow-up discussions. with us to develop • Partner programs of relevance to courses and students. directly with visiting • Engage filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, technicians, and film scholars in seminars, social gatherings, and cross-disciplinary workshops.
Artist Walter Kitundu with a Medill School of Journalism student during the program Tracing the Building, 2016.
We offer an extensive schedule of free public programs during the academic year, including conversations, readings, lectures, symposia, and performances involving artists, scholars, curators, and critics. We also commission artists to develop connections between the campus and the wider public through the creative process. We convene discussions that place art in a broader social, political, and cultural context. We invite you to partner with us to create unique learning opportunities and to host timely conversations of relevance.
Professor Hamid Naficy and Block media arts curator Michelle Puetz with faculty, students, and members of the public for the opening of Naficy’s exhibition Salaam Cinema! 50 Years of Iranian Movie Posters, 2016.
Block Graduate Fellow and Art History Ph.D. candidate C.C. McKee in conversation with French & Italian professor Alessia Ricciardi during the gallery talk for his exhibition Keep the Shadow: Mourning During the AIDS Crisis, 2016.
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES Students play key roles in the museum— here’s how they can get involved: Student Docents, coming from a range of disciplines, are hired and trained to lead museum tours for museum audiences, including the university community, K-12 students, and the general public. Block Student Advisory Board plans student events, communicates with their peers about museum programs, and encourages wider participation. Student Workers who qualify for Federal Work-Study opportunities can apply to work at the museum during the academic year. Paid Summer Internships are offered to two Weinberg College undergraduates interested in experiencing the museum at work. Summer interns participate in a museum seminar, conduct project, exhibition and collection-based research, and are assigned special projects.
Students have access to a wide array of experiential learning opportunities at the Block, including interdisciplinary seminars and workshops with renowned artists and scholars, performance-based programs, and classes in the Eloise W. Martin Study Center and the galleries. The Block’s airy lobby offers a convenient space for students to meet, work, and relax.
Graduate Fellowships are offered to two graduate students annually, one from Art History and one from any department within The Graduate School. Graduate Fellows are integral members of the museum staff and support projects through exhibition and collection research, curating, writing, and catalogue production.
Block Graduate Fellow and Art History Ph.D. candidate C.C. McKee in conversation with French & Italian professor Alessia Ricciardi during the gallery talk for his exhibition Keep the Shadow: Mourning During the AIDS Crisis, 2016.
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES Students play key roles in the museum— here’s how they can get involved: Student Docents, coming from a range of disciplines, are hired and trained to lead museum tours for museum audiences, including the university community, K-12 students, and the general public. Block Student Advisory Board plans student events, communicates with their peers about museum programs, and encourages wider participation. Student Workers who qualify for Federal Work-Study opportunities can apply to work at the museum during the academic year. Paid Summer Internships are offered to two Weinberg College undergraduates interested in experiencing the museum at work. Summer interns participate in a museum seminar, conduct project, exhibition and collection-based research, and are assigned special projects.
Students have access to a wide array of experiential learning opportunities at the Block, including interdisciplinary seminars and workshops with renowned artists and scholars, performance-based programs, and classes in the Eloise W. Martin Study Center and the galleries. The Block’s airy lobby offers a convenient space for students to meet, work, and relax.
Graduate Fellowships are offered to two graduate students annually, one from Art History and one from any department within The Graduate School. Graduate Fellows are integral members of the museum staff and support projects through exhibition and collection research, curating, writing, and catalogue production.
O U R FAC I L I T Y The Block Museum has 5,600 square feet of display space, divided into three galleries, which provide opportunities for museum visitors to experience the varied exhibitions that spring from the Block’s commitment to presenting art across time, place, and media. The museum’s atrium and reception areas are spaces for students to socialize and study, as well as to come together with the wider public for a range of programs, performances, and other events. Priority use of the Block facility is given to requests that are in keeping with the Block’s teaching and learning mission. The Block Conference Room seats 25 and is open for meetings and classroom use for museum-related activities. The Block Spot, the seating and atrium areas of the museum lobby, can house receptions for up to 75 guests. The Pick-Laudati Auditorium is a 148-seat multi-purpose space equipped with a permanent projection screen, podium, wired and wireless microphones, and laptop and film/digital media projection capabilities. The Eloise W. Martin Study Center offers an intimate setting in which to study works of art in the Block Museum’s collection up close, and is available by appointment. In addition to hosting classes, the Study Center serves people including students, faculty, researchers, and visitors from around the world.
Northwestern Theatre students and Jackelope Theatre in The Left Front performing The Living Newspaper, 2014.
O U R FAC I L I T Y The Block Museum has 5,600 square feet of display space, divided into three galleries, which provide opportunities for museum visitors to experience the varied exhibitions that spring from the Block’s commitment to presenting art across time, place, and media. The museum’s atrium and reception areas are spaces for students to socialize and study, as well as to come together with the wider public for a range of programs, performances, and other events. Priority use of the Block facility is given to requests that are in keeping with the Block’s teaching and learning mission. The Block Conference Room seats 25 and is open for meetings and classroom use for museum-related activities. The Block Spot, the seating and atrium areas of the museum lobby, can house receptions for up to 75 guests. The Pick-Laudati Auditorium is a 148-seat multi-purpose space equipped with a permanent projection screen, podium, wired and wireless microphones, and laptop and film/digital media projection capabilities. The Eloise W. Martin Study Center offers an intimate setting in which to study works of art in the Block Museum’s collection up close, and is available by appointment. In addition to hosting classes, the Study Center serves people including students, faculty, researchers, and visitors from around the world.
Northwestern Theatre students and Jackelope Theatre in The Left Front performing The Living Newspaper, 2014.
R E S O U R C E S & C O N TA C T S P RO G R A M M I N G & P U B L I C P R ACTI C E EXHIBITIONS For general questions, please contact 847.491.4000 For curatorial inquiries please contact Ali Kotoch, Curatorial Research Assistant, to be connected to the appropriate staff member, phone: 847.467.6310; email: alexandria.kotoch@northwestern.edu To discuss curricular connections and opoortunities, please contact Susy Bielak, Associate Director of Engagement/Curator of Public Practice, phone: 847.467.5034; email: susy.bielak@northwestern.edu
To discuss co-developing public programs, partnerships, and artist projects outside of the galleries, please contact Susy Bielak, Associate Director of Engagement/Curator of Public Practice, phone: 847.467.5034; email: susy.bielak@northwestern.edu To discuss questions about Block public programs and to host programs and receptions, please contact Holly Warren, Engagement Coordinator, phone: 847.467.6046; email: holly.warren@northwestern.edu To contribute to the Block’s blog, contact Lindsay Bosch, Communications Manager, phone: 847.467.4602; email: lindsay.bosch@northwestern.edu
To discuss fellowship opportunities or develop course-curated exhibitions, please contact Corinne Granof, Curator of Academic Programs, phone: 847.491.4980; email: c-granof@northwestern.edu
BLOCK CINEMA
C O L L ECTI O N S
To discuss ideas and questions about the Block Cinema program, please contact Justin Lintelman, Associate Film Programmer, phone: 847.467.6045; email: justin.lintelman@northwestern.edu
To schedule a class session, please contact Veronica Robinson, Assistant Registrar, phone: 847.491.7330; email: veronica.robinson@northwestern.edu
STUDENT ENGAG EMENT
To discuss integration of permanent collection into courses or curriculum, please contact Essi Rönkkö, Curatorial Research Associate for Special Projects, phone: 847.467.5896; email: essi.ronkko@northwestern.edu
To discuss student engagement or schedule docent tours, please contact Lauren Cochard Watkins, Engagement Manager, phone: 847.491.4852; email: lauren.watkins@northwestern.edu
R E S O U R C E S & C O N TA C T S P RO G R A M M I N G & P U B L I C P R ACTI C E EXHIBITIONS For general questions, please contact 847.491.4000 For curatorial inquiries please contact Ali Kotoch, Curatorial Research Assistant, to be connected to the appropriate staff member, phone: 847.467.6310; email: alexandria.kotoch@northwestern.edu To discuss curricular connections and opoortunities, please contact Susy Bielak, Associate Director of Engagement/Curator of Public Practice, phone: 847.467.5034; email: susy.bielak@northwestern.edu
To discuss co-developing public programs, partnerships, and artist projects outside of the galleries, please contact Susy Bielak, Associate Director of Engagement/Curator of Public Practice, phone: 847.467.5034; email: susy.bielak@northwestern.edu To discuss questions about Block public programs and to host programs and receptions, please contact Holly Warren, Engagement Coordinator, phone: 847.467.6046; email: holly.warren@northwestern.edu To contribute to the Block’s blog, contact Lindsay Bosch, Communications Manager, phone: 847.467.4602; email: lindsay.bosch@northwestern.edu
To discuss fellowship opportunities or develop course-curated exhibitions, please contact Corinne Granof, Curator of Academic Programs, phone: 847.491.4980; email: c-granof@northwestern.edu
BLOCK CINEMA
C O L L ECTI O N S
To discuss ideas and questions about the Block Cinema program, please contact Justin Lintelman, Associate Film Programmer, phone: 847.467.6045; email: justin.lintelman@northwestern.edu
To schedule a class session, please contact Veronica Robinson, Assistant Registrar, phone: 847.491.7330; email: veronica.robinson@northwestern.edu
STUDENT ENGAG EMENT
To discuss integration of permanent collection into courses or curriculum, please contact Essi Rönkkö, Curatorial Research Associate for Special Projects, phone: 847.467.5896; email: essi.ronkko@northwestern.edu
To discuss student engagement or schedule docent tours, please contact Lauren Cochard Watkins, Engagement Manager, phone: 847.491.4852; email: lauren.watkins@northwestern.edu
Phone: 847.491.4000 Email: block-museum@northwestern.edu Web: www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu Social: @NUBLOCKMUSEUM
Front Image: Student visitor to Wangechi Mutu: A Fantastic Journey, 2014. Back Image: Student visitor to If You Remember, I’ll Remember, 2016.