CONTACT: Judy Moore at (847) 491-4819 or at jkm229@northwestern.edu

January 14, 2002

February 2002 Visual Arts

Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art: 1967 S. Campus Drive, Arts Circle, Evanston campus.

The Block Museum has four gallery spaces so patrons can view multiple exhibitions. The building can accommodate a broad range of educational opportunities by means of the 150-seat James B. Pick and Rosalyn M. Laudati Auditorium and the Ellen Philips Katz and Howard C. Katz Gallery. The Print, Drawing and Photography Study Center houses the Block Museum’s collection of approximately 4,000 works of art on paper. The center is designed to allow students, faculty, scholars and the general public to conduct hands-on study of collection works. It also serves as a small gallery in which highly focused, scholarly exhibitions are mounted in conjunction with University courses and special programs. A reference library contains art history resources.

The Block Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. It is closed on Mondays. For information regarding Block Museum programs or location, phone (847) 491-4000. Or go to the Block Museum Web site at www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu.

BLOCK MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS

"selfportrait.map," Jan. 11 through Feb. 24, 2002, Alsdorf Gallery. A projection, in cartographic terms, is the transference of details from a three-dimensional object, such as the earth, onto a single plane, such as a map. Artists Lilla LoCurto and William Outcault collaborate with scientists and computer programmers to make three-dimensional digital scans of their bodies and convert their volume into two dimensions. The results are the monumental digital computer prints featured in the exhibition.

"Adja Yunkers," Feb. 1 through March 31, 2002, Main Gallery. This is the most comprehensive retrospective to date of work by artist Adja Yunkers (1900-1983). Yunkers is recognized for his lyrical sense of color and inventive printing techniques. His career, which spanned the 1920s to 1970s, was in dialogue with some of the leading avant-garde movements of the 20th century. The artist, who was himself a poet, also created numerous portfolios based on the work of leading contemporary poets, including Octavio Paz, whom he collaborated with on several occasions. This exhibition, curated by Marek Baretlik, professor of art history at The Cooper Union, examines Yunkers’ drawings, prints, paintings and collaborations with poets in depth.

"Jacob Lawrence: Prints from the Series, The Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture," Feb. 1 through March 31, 2002, Print, Drawing and Photography Study Center. American artist Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) is best known for his series of paintings depicting African and African-American life and history. In 1937-38 in Harlem, Lawrence painted the first of these series, "The Life of Toussaint L’ Overture," which chronicles the life of the individual who led the Haitian slave revolt of 1791-1804 and helped found the Republic of Haiti. From 1986 to 1997, the artist created 15 color screen prints based on the painting series. The prints, which were published by the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans, are recent additions to the Block Museum’s collection.

LECTURE/DEMONSTRATION

"selfportrait.map" Artists Demonstration, 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, John J. Louis Hall Auditorium (Studio Building), 1975 S. Campus Drive. "selfportrait.map" exhibition artists Lilla LoCurto and William Outcault will present their work and demonstrate some of the computer programs used to create it at the Art and Technology colloquium. The event is open to the public, but seating is limited. To reserve a seat, call (847) 491-4852.

"Portal," Jan. 11 to March 17, Block Museum Foyer, First Floor. "Portal" is an interactive, multimedia installation created for the Block Museum foyer by Northwestern students and faculty in the Center for Art and Technology. It consists of a projected computer display that uses a camera pointed at arriving visitors in the museum entrance to create source images, which are then processed in the computer to create an immersive visual and aural environment. The project shares authorship with each visitor, whose presence generates patterns on the computer which are translated into sounds changing according to the way in which one moves through the entrance space. These images and sounds provide the basis for an ongoing implementation of John Conway’s Game of Life, invented in 1970, in which visitors cause the "life" or "death" of cells in a matrix.

FILM SHOWING

"Sugar Cane Alley," (Euzhan Palcy, Martinique/France, 1984, 107 minutes), 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, Pick-Laudati Auditorium. A presentation of Euzhan Palcy’s highly acclaimed film set in poverty-stricken 1930s Martinique, focusing on a young boy and his grandmother’s sacrifices to provide a better life for him. Dorris Garraway, assistant professor of French at Northwestern, will provide a brief introduction to the film. Organized in cooperation with African American Student Affairs in conjunction with the Block Museum exhibition "Jacob Lawrence: Prints from the Series, The Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture," Feb. 1 through March 31, 2002, Print, Drawing and Photography Study Center. Admission is free.

ARTIST LECTURE

Faith Ringgold, 6 p.m. Feb. 8, Pick-Laudati Auditorium. Artist Faith Ringgold will present a slide presentation of her work entitled, "More Than Thirty-Five Years of Making Art." Ringgold, whose work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, among other institutions, has exhibited her story quilts in major museums all over the world, and written and illustrated five children’s books, including the award-winning "Tar Beach." This program will include a reception and book signing and has been organized in conjunction with African American Student Affairs. This event has not yet been confirmed. For more information, call (847) 491-4852 or go to the Block Museum Web site at www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu.

STORYTELLING

Storytelling, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, Print, Drawing and Study Center. This storytelling event was inspired by American artist Jacob Lawrence’s "Toussaint L’Ouverture" prints and a children’s book based on the artist’s original painting series. The program will feature the telling of several Haitian folktales and a brief tour of the Block Museum’s "Jacob Lawrence: Prints from the Series, The Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture," exhibition on view in the Print, Drawing and Photography Center from Feb. 1 through March 31, 2002. Lawrence (1917-2000) was renowned for his historical series of paintings depicting African and African-American life and history. This event has been organized in conjunction with students of the Northwestern University theatre department’s storytelling program. It is recommended for fifth- to seventh-grade audiences. This event will be repeated at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13. Admission is free. Space is limited. Reservations are required. Call (847) 491-4852 to make a reservation.

BLOCK MUSEUM GALLERY TOURS

Block Museum Gallery Tours, 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, Feb. 9; Feb. 16; Feb. 23; March 2; March 9; and March 16. The public is invited to join one of the weekly scheduled Saturday afternoon staff and docent-led gallery tours of the Block Museum’s special exhibitions. Admission is free. For more information, call (847) 491-4000.

BENEFIT EVENT

Northwestern University Suitcase Party Benefit for Children’s Place Association, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, Block Museum. The Children’s Place Association is dedicated to helping children confronted by health, economic and social barriers, improve their quality of life and achieve their full individual potential. The not-for-profit agency is a pioneer of innovative programs aimed at assisting HIV/AIDS-affected children and families in the Chicago area. This benefit, which is sponsored by a Northwestern University student-run philanthropic organization, will include a silent auction and gallery tours of special Block Museum exhibitions. Tickets are $20 to $25. For advance tickets or for more information, call (847) 467-2833.

THE DARKER MUSE

The Darker Muse: Black Chicago and Creative Suggestion Conversation: "The Contemporary Scene," 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, Pick-Laudati Auditorium. Ifa Bayeza, artistic director, Duncan YMCA Chernin Center for the Arts; Maggie Brown, vocal artist and founder of the independent record label Mag Pie Records; and Kahil El Zabar, founder and leader, Ritual Trio, will address the contemporary local cultural scene. Moderated and hosted by Adam Green, assistant professor, history and African-American Studies, Northwestern University, and guest curator, The Darker Muse series.

POETRY READING

Poetry Reading, 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 28, Pick-Laudati Auditorium. Artist Adja Yunkers, who himself wrote poetry, was inspired by and collaborated with leading poets, including Nobel Laureate Octavio Paz. Reginald Gibbons, fiction writer, translator, author of seven poetry collections, and professor of English at Northwestern, and others will present a reading of Paz’s poetry. This event has been organized in conjunction with the Block Museum’s "Adja Yunkers" exhibition that includes two stunning portfolios Yunkers created with Paz. The Yunkers exhibition will be on view in the Block Museum’s Main Gallery from Feb. 1 through March 31, 2002. Admission is free. Call (847) 491-4852 for further details.

BLOCK CINEMA

Block Cinema, a collaboration of the School of Speech and the Block Museum of Art, screens classic and contemporary films three nights a week in the Block Museum’s James B. Pick and Rosalyn M. Laudati Auditorium. Block Cinema will feature a series on three different themes, directors or countries during each quarter of the academic year. The series is programmed by student members of the Northwestern University Film Society, an organization dedicated to providing the campus, the North Shore and Chicago with another quality venue for repertory.

Block Cinema general admission is $6, or $4 with a Northwestern WildCard, Block Museum membership or student identification. Special events are $10. A season pass is $25, but does not include admission to special events. Tickets and season passes are available at the door 30 minutes before showtime. Dates and titles are subject to change. For more information, call the Block Cinema Hotline at (847) 491-4000, or go to the Block Cinema’s Web site at www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/education/nufilms.

The following Block Cinema screenings will be held in the Pick-Laudati Auditorium.

Block Cinema: Special Weekend Series, 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, Neo-Noir Detectives: "Bullitt," (Peter Yates, 1968, United States, 113 minutes). Before Harry Callahan, before Popeye Doyle, the toughest cop on the streets was Bullitt. This film features one of the best car chases in film history.

Block Cinema: Special Weekend Series, 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, Neo-Noir Detectives: "Klute," (Alan J. Pakula, 1971, United States, 114 minutes). A small-town detective tracks down a big-city call girl in search of his missing friend, only to find that she is in grave danger.

Block Cinema, 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, For Love and/or Money: Cash and Courtship in Screwball Comedy – "The Gilded Lily," (Wesley Ruggles, 1935, United States, 80 minutes). Working girl Claudette Colbert’s love life becomes front-page news in an exploration of those sacred institutions, marriage and celebrity.

Block Cinema, 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, Téchiné, Tsai, Araki – "Rebels of the Neon God," (Tsai Ming-ling, 1992, Taiwan, 106 minutes). Tsai’s first feature explores the life of a lost young man as he comes to grips with confused feelings about a slightly older crook.

REELTIME FILM SERIES

REELTIME is an independent film and video forum jointly sponsored by Northwestern University’s Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art and the Evanston Public Library, in partnership with project coordinators Andrea Leland and Kathy Berger of Leland/Berger Productions. The free admission, monthly series of award-winning independent features, documentaries and short subject videos is held either at the main branch of the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave., in downtown Evanston, or the Block Museum, 1967 S. Campus Drive, Arts Circle, Evanston campus. Each screening will be followed by a discussion between filmmakers and the audience.

The Reeltime program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, the Playboy Foundation, and many individual donations. Free parking is available on Northwestern’s Evanston campus after 5 p.m. weekdays and all weekend. For more information, call the Block Museum at (847) 491-4000 or the Evanston Public Library at (847) 866-0300.

REELTIME: "Windhorse," (Paul Wagner and Thupten Tsering, 97 minutes), 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 20, Block Museum, Pick-Laudati Auditorium. Based on true events, this dramatic film tells the urgent, contemporary story of an aspiring Tibetan pop singer who wins favor with the Chinese government of occupied Tibet. She faces a crisis of conscience when her cousin, a Buddhist nun, is imprisoned and tortured for her religious beliefs. Produced by Paul Wagner in English, Chinese and Tibetan with English subtitles. A cultural presentation and discussion with Tsering Tashi Phuri from the Tibet Center of Chicago will follow the screening.

BLOCK SCULPTURE GARDEN

In 1987, Leigh Block, one of the Museum’s inaugural donors and a preeminent collector of modern art, bequested a large group of outdoor bronze sculptures to the Block Museum. These pieces formed the core of the collection, which now features monumental sculptures by some of the 20th century’s most renowned European and American sculptors, including Jean (Hans) Arp, Barbara Hepworth, Jacques Lipchitz, Joan Miró and Henry Moore. Open year-round, admission is free.

DITTMAR MEMORIAL GALLERY

Dittmar Memorial Gallery: Norris University Center, 1999 S. Campus Drive, Evanston campus. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Admission is free. The Dittmar Memorial Gallery places emphasis on ethnic cultural art, art by emerging artists, art by or about women, artwork by Northwestern undergraduate and graduate art students and traveling art shows. For information, call the Dittmar Gallery at (847) 491-2348 or Norris University Center at (847) 491-2300.

"Paintings and Drawings," Jan. 7 through Feb. 3, Dittmar Memorial Gallery. Painter and art therapist Dan Anthon and artist Bob Gilliam have exhibited together for the past six years and have been friends for more than a decade. Gilliam, who has been dealing with schizophrenia for a number of years, has been an artist most of his life. Art is a fundamental part of both of their lives. Though different in focus and style, their work has an underlying common thread that is discernible. Anthon works in oils on canvas with chalk pastels, using organic abstract shapes alive with color and form that deal with the inner conflict of a therapist working in the mental health field. Gilliam’s intricately layered pencil and marker drawings depict the powerful inner struggles of someone dealing with schizophrenia. They both fight the stigma that society gives people with mental illness -- Anthon on a professional level -- and Gilliam on a personal level. Their hope is this Dittmar exhibition will inspire enthusiasm for art and for life. A reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, is free and open to the public. Both artists will speak during the reception about "Experiences With Mental Illness In College."

"The Odus Of Ifa," Feb. 6 through March 14, Dittmar Memorial Gallery. The subject of this body of work by artist Ifakolade Obafemi is the interpretation of the Odus of Ifa, the indigenous ancient African religion underlying Santeria, Candomble, and Voodun, in oil on canvas. Incorporated into the project are symbolic images recalling the Adinkra symbols from the Akan of Ghana. The project also incorporates the Vee-Vee symbols found in the Voodun tradition, and the color symbolism inherent to the Orisha tradition as practiced by Lucuumi, Candomble and Santeria traditions of the Americas as well as the Yoruba-speaking areas of Nigeria and the Republic of Benin in West Africa.

African symbolism has been the focus of the artist’s work for the past two years. Within the last two years, Obafemi, a Northwestern alumnus, has worked exclusively on the cultural and religious art of the Yoruba of Nigeria. He was initiated into the Orisa priesthood in 1996 in Chicago. In June 1999, he was initiated into the Ifa priesthood in Oyo, Nigeria. African symbols can be painted by anyone, however traditionalists believe, when prepared by a priest with prayers and incantations, the symbols come to life and have ritual significance and function. The paintings are designed to stand on their own aesthetic and compositional merit, exploring ideas of space, movement, time, depth, coolness and warmth. A 6 to 8 p.m. reception for Obafami on Thursday, Feb. 14, is open to the public.