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Block Museum of Art, Evanston

4.5
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Art Museum · Museum
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The Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art is a free public art museum located on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The Block Museum was established in 1980 when Chicago art collectors Mary and Leigh B. Block (former vice president of Inland Steel Company), donated funds to Northwestern University for the construction of an art exhibition venue. In recognition of their gift, the University named the changing exhibition space the Mary and Leigh Block Gallery. The original conception of the museum was modeled on the German kunsthalle tradition, with no permanent collection, and a series of changing temporary exhibits. However, the Block Museum soon began to acquire a permanent collection as the University transferred many of its art pieces to the museum. In recognition of its growing collection and its expanding programming, the Gallery became the American Alliance of Museums accredited Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art in 1998. The Block embarked on a major reconstruction project in 1999 and reopened in a new facility in September 2000.The Block Museum is dedicated to presenting programs and exhibitions that resonate with the curriculum, research and teaching areas of Northwestern University and are relevant to student, local and regional audiences. The Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art enriches teaching and learning on the campuses of Northwestern University and in the communities of their surrounding regions by presenting art across time, cultures, and media; convening interdisciplinary discussions in which art is a springboard for exploring issues and ideas and collecting art that supports the Northwestern University curriculum. The museum also commissions new work by artists to foster connections between artists and the public through the creative process. Each year, the Block mounts exhibitions; organizes and hosts lectures, symposia, and workshops involving artists, scholars, curators, and critics; and screens classic and contemporary films at its in-house cinema.
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Block Museum of Art reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
56 reviews
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4.7
TripAdvisor
  • I saw a wonderfully thought-out and wonderfully presented exhibition filled with great and important art titled "Site of a Struggle", I believe. Moving. 
    I saw a wonderfully thought-out and wonderfully presented exhibition filled with great and important art titled "Site of a Struggle", I believe. Moving.  more »
  • Very nice modern building and an amazing location on university campus and by the Michigan Lake. Very interesting expo. 
    Very nice modern building and an amazing location on university campus and by the Michigan Lake. Very interesting expo.  more »
Google
  • ✨🌟Yesterday was for @nublockmuseum! We took a bike 🚲 and head to Evanston from Chicago! And the trip was really worth it! BLOCK museum is placed in a beautiful campus surrounded with amazing outdoor sculpture collection and you can take a map and labels at the front desk. The current exhibition is great and the content is very hard and intense but super important at the same time and that is why I do really appreciate how the whole space is designed. You can use 3 reflection rooms, where you can listen to special meditation prepared for this special exhibition. Take a look at their visitor guide, where I would like to highlight the reflection questions, the possibility for feedback and the list of resources where you can further go for more information and content. ✨🌟 well what to say… another great university museum.find more info about audience engagement in university museums on my instagram account @universitygalleries.
  • Small, but exquisitely crafted art museum with a rotation of a curated exhibition. A quick artistic escape to see something new and different. Seeing the entire collection sans watching the movies can be done in unde an hour.

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