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

April 5, 2005

Block Museum Plans Auction, Spring Exhibitions

The Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a benefit auction April 7 and several exhibitions.

As part of its auctionBLOCK benefit, the museum will auction a print portfolio dedicated to the memory of the late Ed Paschke. “Slated” also features the last print done by Paschke. The portfolio, organized by Chicago’s Anchor Graphics, includes new prints by Karl Wirsum, Teresa Mucha-Jones, Marilyn Propp, Richard Hull, Tim Anderson, Chris Flynn, Mitchiko Ititani, Ayanah Moor and Ian Weaver.

The benefit will be held at the museum at 6 p.m. April 7. Bill Cass, William Conger, Judy Ledgerwood and Karl Wirsum are among the Chicago artists creating new prints to be sold during a live auction. Proceeds will support exhibitions, acquisitions and collections.

A silent auction that evening will feature more than 30 original lithographs, woodcuts and etchings by Leonard Baskin, Robert Indiana, Ben Shahn, Larry Zox and other selected artists. These artworks were donated to the Block to enhance its collection and provide student scholarships. For reservations, call (847) 491-7540.

Attendees will have the opportunity to preview the spring exhibitions, “Currents: 25 Years of Collecting Modern and Contemporary Prints” and “Foundations: Old Master and Nineteenth-Century Prints from the Collection” open to the public from April 8 to June 19.

The “Currents” exhibition surveys how modern and contemporary artists use printmaking to create personal narratives, offer social commentary and transcend aesthetic experiences. The “Foundations” exhibition explores the historic development of printmaking, from 15th century woodcuts to 19th century engravings, through a sampling of prints.

The Block Museum will celebrate its role as a teaching institution with the annual “MFA Thesis Exhibition from the Department of Art Theory and Practice” that will be on view in the Alsdorf Gallery from April 22 to June 19. Featuring the work of Northwestern graduate students, this exhibition represents the culmination of the course of study for the Master of Fine Arts degree. An opening reception for the exhibition that will be held at 5 p.m. April 21 is free and open to the public.