June 22, 2004
Summer 2004 Visual Arts Calendar
Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus. The museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The museum is closed on Monday. The museum also will be closed from June 21 through July 13. Admission to the museum is free; unless noted, admission to all programs is also free. For information regarding Block Museum exhibitions, programs or location, phone (847) 491-4000 or go to the Block Museum Web site at www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu.
BLOCK SUMMER EXHIBITION
“Persistence of Vision: The Evolution of the Moving Image, 1895-1910,” July 14 through Aug. 22, Alsdorf Gallery. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, optical toys and inventions increasingly drew spectators to enjoy the magic of illusion. As the audiences and industry for these technologies developed, the popularity of zoetropes and magic lanterns were rivaled by the pioneering motion pictures of Thomas Edison and Georges Méliès. This exhibition will provide a look at the apparatus and artistry of pre-cinema and early cinema and will examine the large and small ways the moving image has changed art and culture. There will be rare early film equipment such as the Lumière cinematograph, the first motion picture camera, and the 1897 Wench projector, the first film projector available for public sale. With make-and-take projects for children and adults, demonstrations of early cinema technology and rare screenings of early movies, the exhibition will appeal to families and serious students of the motion picture alike. Drawn from an extensive private collection, the exhibition is organized by the Block Museum of Art.
ONGOING EXHIBITION
“Theo Leffmann: Weaving a Life into Art,” ongoing exhibition, Theo Leffmann Gallery. Theo Leffmann is recognized as a rich contributor to the American fiber art movement in the late 20th century. For more than 30 years, she liberated textiles from practical and decorative applications by using them as a means of personal expression. The Theo Leffmann Gallery highlights selections from the more than 75 fiber constructions by Leffmann in the Block Museum’s permanent collection.
SPECIAL SUMMER EVENT
Summer Block Party, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 22, the Block Museum. Join the Block Museum’s indoor and outdoor celebration of summer and the Alsdorf Gallery’s “Persistence of Vision: The Evolution of the Moving Image” exhibition which is open for public viewing from July 14 through Aug. 22. Participants will create optical toys, snack on popcorn, and watch as collector Carey Williams shows vintage films on early cinema equipment. The event is open to all ages. Admission is free.
BLOCK SCULPTURE GARDEN
The Sculpture Garden of the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art constitutes one of the most significant groupings of modern sculpture in the region. 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 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. They include Jean (Hans) Arp, Barbara Hepworth, Jacques Lipchitz, Joan Miró and Henry Moore.
In 1989, the Block Museum opened its Sculpture Garden with nine of the monumental bronzes donated by Block. The Sculpture Garden was designed by Chicago architect John Vinci and has grown to 22 pieces through donations and acquisitions. Profiles of the artists and their works, and a brochure detailing the sculpture collection, are available online on the Block Museum Web site at www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/exhibitions/sculpture.html. The Sculpture Garden is open year-round. Free, docent-guided tours of the Sculpture Garden will be held every Sunday at 2 p.m. from June 13 through Aug. 13. (No tour July 4). To arrange a group tour, call (847) 491-4852.
ADULT TOURS AT THE BLOCK
Weekend Docent Led Tours, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, from July 17 to Aug. 21. Block Museum docents will lead free tours of the galleries that begin in the museum lobby. Reservations are not necessary.
Docent Led Group Tours, by appointment. The Block Museum offers free docent-led tours to groups of eight or more. Guided tours are approximately 45 minutes to an hour and are available each day the museum is open. Scheduled tour requests should be made at least four weeks in advance by completing the Group Visit Registration Form at www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/welcome/tours.html or by calling (847) 491-4852.
Sculpture Garden Tours, June 13 to Aug. 22. During the summer, free guided tours of the Museum’s Sculpture Garden will be held each Sunday from June 13 to Aug. 22. Tours begin at 2 p.m. at the museum’s front entrance on the Arts Circle. Campus parking is free on weekends. (No tour July 4).
SUMMER CHILDREN’S AND FAMILY PROGRAMS
The Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art has launched family programs in the museum. Children aged 7 to 14 are invited to participate in interactive tours and hands-on projects. Admission is free for children of museum members, $5 per family for non-members.
Children’s Program, 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4; 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7; 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11, and 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14. After a tour of the “Persistence of Vision: The Evolution of the Moving Image” exhibition that includes hands-on demonstrations of early movie technology, children will create their own optical toys to show off at home. Parents are invited to join their children at the Aug. 14 program. Space is limited. Reservations are required. Call (847) 491-4852.
DITTMAR MEMORIAL GALLERY
Dittmar Memorial Gallery, Norris University Center, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston campus. The gallery is open from 8 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, or e-mail dittmargallery@northwestern.edu or go to the Norris Center Web site at www.northwestern.edu/norris/dittmar.html.
“UTRIBE of the 21st Century: Reconnect, Recycle, Renew,” June 10 through Aug. 12, Dittmar Memorial Gallery. “UTRIBE” (urban tribal) is an exhibition of recycled found objects such as buttons, tire treads and flatware that have been transformed into new experiences. Artist Mitch Melson Jr. transforms everyday objects into “tribal” artifacts. Melson believes that elements of tribal culture, which are soon to be lost, bring back people’s sense of pride in their communities. Melson developed the concept of “UTRIBE” in 1996 to connect humankind, past and future, and support the need to save our ecology. A 6 to 8 p.m. opening reception Thursday, June 24, hosted by the Dittmar Memorial Gallery, is free and open to the public.
SPECIAL FREE WORKSHOPS
“UTRIBE” Special Free Workshops, noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 29, and noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 21, Artica Studios, underground level, Norris University Center. Artist Mitch Melson Jr. will teach children aged 12 and older and adults how to recycle small items into small works of art (masks). Participants who attend one of these two special summer workshops will also learn the theory behind “UTRIBE.” Materials and light refreshments will be provided. Admission is free. Since space is limited, reservations are required. Call (847) 491-2344.
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