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

February 25, 2005

April 2005 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 MUSEUM SPRING 2005 EXHIBITIONS

“Currents: 25 years of Collecting Contemporary and Modern Prints,” April 9 to June 19, Main Gallery. This exhibition explores how modern and contemporary artists use printmaking to create personal narratives and social commentary. Reflecting the Block Museum’s commitment to reproducible media, “Currents” shows the unique language of printmaking through various techniques and materials. It includes works by Leonard Baskin, Richard Diebenkorn and Kiki Smith.

“Foundations: Old Master and Nineteenth-Century Prints from the Collection,” April 9 to June 19, Print, Drawing and Photography Study Center. Ranging from 15th century woodcuts to 19th century engravings, the Block Museum’s holdings offer a remarkable sampling of the development of European and American print making during the full span of its birth and historic development that led to the explosion of media experimentation and expansive subject matters found in 20th century graphic arts. Among the many artists represented in this display celebrating 25 years of collecting at the Block Museum are works by Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, Hendrick Goltzius, Jacob van Ruysdael, Jacque Callot, J.M.W. Turner and Honoré Daumier.

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Thesis Exhibition from the Department of Art Theory and Practice, April 19 to June 19, Alsdorf Gallery. Showcasing the work of Northwestern University candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree, this annual exhibition features varied styles and conceptual approaches, manifesting the vision of each artist. This year’s exhibition includes the work of Kelly Marie Breslin, Zachary Buchner, Joe Pflieger and Ryan Scheidt. An opening reception for this exhibition will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 22. The event, which is free and open to the public, will include a panel discussion by the artists and Northwestern Art Theory and Practice alumnus Keiler Sensenbrenner and Heather Pesanti, Marjorie Susman Curatorial Fellow at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

BENEFIT AUCTION

“auctionBlock,” 6 p.m. Thursday, April 7, Block Museum, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus. The second annual “auctionBlock” benefit will include works by Chicago artists Bill Cass, William Conger, Judy Ledgerwood and Karl Wirsum. The auction will be conducted by Neal Meltzer of Neal Meltzer Fine Arts, New York, and Sotheby’s Midwest Chairman Helyn Goldenberg. A silent auction will feature 30 original lithographs, woodcuts and etchings created for the purpose of sale to enhance the Block Museum’s collection and provide student scholarships. The evening will include cocktails and a buffet supper. Admission is $125 per person. Reservations are required. Call (847) 491-7540.

ART HISTORY SYMPOSIUM

The 16th Annual Northwestern University Graduate Symposium, 9 a.m. Saturday, April 30, in the museum’s Pick-Laudati Auditorium. This year’s symposium features a keynote address by Thomas Crow, director of the Getty Research Institute. Crow will speak on “The Unknown Conversation: The Last Works of Mark Rothko and Eva Hesse.” The symposium is free and open to the public. No reservations are required.

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.

SUMMER 2005 EXHIBITION PREVIEW

Sculpting in Glass, July 15 through Aug. 28, all galleries. Moving beyond the vessel-based forms, functionality and ancient techniques, glass artists have used various approaches -- traditional and innovative -- to push the limits of the medium and to create glass sculpture that is highly individual and stylistically varied. This Block Museum-organized exhibition, curated by art critic and writer James Yood and Block Assistant Curator Corinne Granof, features work from prominent Chicago-area glass collections.

ADULT TOURS AT THE BLOCK

Weekend Docent-Led Tours, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, beginning April 9 through June 19. 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.

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.norris.northwestern.edu/nbsm_dittmar.php. 

The 2004-05 Senior Show, April 2 through May 8, Dittmar Memorial Gallery. This annual exhibition features the artwork of the 2004-05 Northwestern University senior Art Theory and Practice majors. The show exemplifies the diverse ideas and styles of the artists in multiple media. An opening reception will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 7. The reception is free and open to the public.