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

December 1, 2004

December 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.

The Block Museum will be closed to the public from Nov. 30 through Jan. 3, in preparation of the opening of the first of three Winter 2005 exhibitions.

WINTER 2005 PREVIEW

“How We Might Live: The Art and Crafts Interior,” Jan. 4 through March 6, Alsdorf Gallery. Featuring original furniture and decorative objects for the home such as chairs, bookcases, wallpaper and tapestries, the exhibition compares the works of British artist William Morris and American Arts and Crafts designer and manufacturer Gustav Stickley. A selection of original furniture and decorative objects for the home designed and manufactured by Morris & Co., and Stickley’s United Crafts and Craftsman Workshops will be on display. Northwestern University Art History Professor Stephen F. Eisenman, Block Museum associate curator Corinne Granof and several graduate students from Northwestern’s art history department organized the exhibition.

“The Beauty of Life: William Morris and the Art of Design,” Jan. 21 through March 13, Main Gallery and Print, Drawing and Photography Center. This exhibition will explore the work of the British artist considered the father of the Arts ad Crafts Movement. Organized by The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, La., the exhibition includes more than 125 designs by Morris & Co. for stained glass, wallpaper, textiles, embroidery and tapestry. It also will include a selection of rare books published by Morris’ printing venture, the Kelmscott Press.

“The Greeting,” Jan. 21 through March 13, Katz Digital Gallery. Contemporary American video artist Bill Viola’s slow motion work prolongs a brief social exchange to reveal the complexity of emotions in human encounters. The work is based on Italian artist Jacopo Pontormo’s painting “The Visitation” (1528-29). 

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.

ADULT TOURS AT THE BLOCK

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.

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. For information, call the Dittmar Gallery at (847) 491-2348 or Norris University Center at (847) 491-2300, e-mail dittmargallery@northwestern.edu or go to www.northwestern.edu/Norris/dittmar.html. The Dittmar Memorial Gallery will be closed from Dec. 6 through Jan. 3.

“Coming of Age in The Back of the Yards,” Photography by Robb Hill, 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.  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.

Winter 2005 Dittmar Exhibition Preview. “The Feminine Face of Fiber,” Jan. 5 through Feb. 13. The exhibition will feature the work of fiber artists Kathy Weaver and Barbara Bansley.