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

October 25, 2004

November 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. 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 FALL 2004 EXHIBITION

“Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics,” Sept. 10 through Nov. 28, Main Gallery; Print, Drawing and Photography Center; Katz Gallery and Alsdorf Gallery. From digitally altered photographs of transgenic beings to abstract gene-mapping paintings, “Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics” probes the potential social, emotional and ethical implications of one of the most controversial and fascinating subjects of our time -- the deciphering of the human genome.

Featuring artwork by more than 20 renowned and emerging artists, including Christine Borland, Critical Art nsemble, Dario Robleto and Chicagoans Eduardo Kac and Iñigo Manglano-Orvalle, “Gene(sis)” explores ways in which our understanding of science, including recent genomic developments, is inextricably bound with our understanding of language and art and multifaceted use of new technologies and science.

The exhibition is organized in four general themes: “sequence” -- work that explores the rhetoric and media epresentations of genomics; “boundary” -- artists’ investigations of the new permeable boundaries between species; “specimen” -- work that engages questions of DNA ownership, personal privacy and the management of genetic information; and “subject” -- artists’ re-imaginings of individual subjectivity, family and human nature in the wake of recent genomic developments.

“Like other arenas of culture, contemporary art can illuminate many issues of controversy in our culture, the ultimate means of the human genome among them,” said “Gene(sis)” curator Robin Held. “’Gene(sis)’ interweaves humorous commentary, theatrical installations, documentary images and pseudo (or actual) scientific laboratory situations, elucidating certain technical advances for a lay audience. It exploits the power of contemporary art to provoke, to question, and to articulate new paradigms, providing conditions necessary for a deeper understanding and a fuller discussion of genomic issues.”

“Gene(sis)” is organized by the Henry Art Gallery in affiliation with the Berkeley Art Museum. A companion Web site is available online at www.gene-sis.net.

The Block Museum has organized a series of programs to complement this exhibition. (See below for information regarding the November events.)

Artist Talk, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, Pick-Laudati Auditorium. The diverse body of work created by MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” recipient Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle deals with issues such as representation and identity, social and geographic boundaries and the effects of genetic developments on our concepts of individuality, privacy and ethics. He will discus his current work, including “The Garden of Delights” (1998) featured in the Block Museum’s “Gene(sis)” exhibition.

Artist Talk, Eduardo Kac, 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, Pick-Laudati Auditorium. Kac will discuss the methods and themes of his artwork that have provoked both praise and controversy. In such work as the installation “Genesis” (1999) and the fluorescent rabbit of “GFP Bunny” (2000), Kac confronts complex issues concerning identity, agency and responsibility.

“Race, Genetic Ancestry and Disease,” Center for Genetic Medicine Silverstein Lecture, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, Pick-Laudati Auditorium. Rick Kittles’ work on the genetic ancestry of African Americans has brought into focus many issues that relate to race, identity and group membership. Kittles is associate professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics at the Ohio State University Medical Center. A 5:30 p.m. reception will precede the lecture. 

ADULT TOURS AT THE BLOCK

Weekend Docent Led Tours, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, from Sept. 11 to Nov. 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 calling (847) 491-4852 or by completing the Group Visit Registration Form at www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/welcome/tours.html.

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.

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. It is open year-round.

DITTMAR MEMORIAL GALLERY

Dittmar Memorial Gallery, Norris University Center, 1999 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, or e-mail dittmargallery@northwestern.edu or go to the Norris Center Web site at www.northwestern.edu/Norris/dittmar.html.

FALL EXHIBITIONS

“Coming of Age in The Back of the Yards,” Photography by Robb Hill, Oct. 21 through Dec. 5. Photographer Robb Hill presents the experiences of several students at Second Chance, an alternative high school on the south side of Chicago in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, where disadvantages of crime, drugs and violence blend with a fierce pride in their Mexican heritage and community.  Second Chance students either dropped out or were expelled from traditional public schools. The images are part of a project partially supported by a grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, with additional support from the Puffin Foundation.