The Block Collects

Every year The Block brings new works of art into the collection to support Northwestern University’s teaching and learning mission. Each work becomes part of an expanding resource that students, faculty, and Block audiences can engage with through classes, research visits, and exhibitions.

The works of art in this exhibition have been selected in dialogue with a student-led collecting project undertaken by the 2022-2023 Block Student Associates.

The BMSAs are an interdisciplinary group of Northwestern undergraduate students who serve as tour guides, public facilitators, and peer-to-peer ambassadors for the museum on campus. As in-house student advisors for museum staff, they help shape Block programming and projects. The yearly student-led acquisition provides the BMSA’s an opportunity to learn by doing.

In Academic Year 2023 the BMSAs decided to focus their acquisition process on work by artists whose practices address questions related to gender. Their final proposal included Derrick Woods-Morrow’s photograph Frederick on Lake Pontchartrain | after Lincoln Beach, on view in this exhibition. Morrow’s work is accompanied here by other works from The Block’s collection that offer multiple perspectives on this themes. 

This exhibition was also on view from September 20 to December 3, 2023.