Join Block Museum staff for a talk considering an artwork from the Block’s collection that reflects on legacies of living free, queer activism, and the trans experience, in connection to the 2025-2026 Women’s Center book selection, Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson by Tourmaline.
Our Spring Quarter talk by Llewyn Blossfeld, Curatorial Associate, will focus on Caprice, 55, Chicago, IL, 2015 by Jess T. Dugan and Vanessa Fabre. Other works in the Block's collection will also be referenced. The program will be facilitated by Isabella Ko, Engagement Coordinator and Educator.
In honor of the Women’s Center’s 40th anniversary and their theme for the academic year, Legacies of Living Free, the Women’s Center is inviting the Northwestern Community to connect deeply and collectively with a single text, Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson by Tourmaline. The Block is proud to partner with the Women’s Center to explore the themes of this shared text, selecting artworks from the museum collection that can broaden discussions.
Llewyn Blossfeld (he/they) is Curatorial Associate at the Block Museum of Art. He is an art historian and writer pursuing a Dual Degree MA in Art History and Arts Administration at the School of the Art Institute, with research interests in transgender history, disability and queer studies, and LGBTQ+ portraiture, as well as the many intersections of art and politics. He has previously worked at the Blanton Museum of Art, the Green Family Art Foundation, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. At the Block Museum, he continues to support research on artworks entering the collection, especially as this research aids our collecting goals in support of teaching and research at Northwestern University.
Isabella Ko (she/her) aspires to create spaces where people can slow down, get curious, and reflect on the world around them—while in the company of art and others. She wonders about how to center critical pedagogical practices when facilitating art experiences and the role of cultural production within sociopolitical movements. Isabella is the Block Museum’s Engagement Coordinator & Educator and graduated from Northwestern University in 2020 with a major in art history and minors in French and Business Institutions. You might hear her before you see her (talking and laughing loudly with loved ones.)
The Block Museum of Art acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.
Image credits: Jacket design by Jason Booher. Jacket art based on image of Marsha P. Johnson from Randy Wicker & Marsha P. Johnson Papers via The LGBT Center. Art Circle: Jess T. Dugan (American, born 1982) and Vanessa Fabre (American, born 1978), Caprice, 55, Chicago, IL, 2015, from the portfolio To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults, 2018, Inkjet print on paper. Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, The Block Friends of Art Fund purchase. 2019.2.1q-r.
Cost: Free and open to the public
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