When:
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
12:00 PM - 8:00 PM CT
Where: Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208 map it
Cost: Free and open to all
Contact:
Lindsay Bosch
lindsay.bosch@northwestern.edu
Group: Block Museum Exhibitions
Category: Fine Arts
Description:
The storied city of Djenné, a center of Islamic learning, study, and scholarship since the twelfth century, is the hometown of Bamako-based photographer Hamdia Traoré (b. 1992, Mali). The thirty portraits in Traore’s series Des marabouts de Djenné (Marabouts of Jenne) reflect his intimate connections to the city’s people and deep history. Learned and devout, marabouts teach in Djenné’s over 50 Qur’anic schools, offer spiritual guidance, and treat ailments through their knowledge of the Qur’an.
Made during a time of political and social upheaval in Mali, these portraits reflect enduring cultural resilience. Each image depicts a marabout seated with the tools of his practice—books, Qur’an boards, amulets, and prayer beads—framed by the architecture and atmosphere of Djenné. The consistent format underscores their collective identity, while individual poses and captions highlight personal roles and neighborhoods.
Traoré’s work will be shown alongside mid-20th-century black-and-white portraits of marabouts by Malian photographers Mamadou Cissé, Abdourahmane Sakaly, and Tijani Sitou. Drawn from the Archive of Malian Photography, these earlier images share visual parallels and deepen the historical context. Together, these images illuminate evolving perspectives on spiritual authority, identity, and visual representation in Mali.
Hamdia Traoré’s “Des marabouts de Djenné” and Muslim Portraiture in Mali” is curated by Kathleen Bickford Berzock, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, in collaboration with Candace M. Keller, Associate Professor, Art History & Visual Culture, Michigan State University. We are grateful to the Archive of Malian Photography (https://amp.matrix.msu.edu/), which provided digital scans of archival works. At The Block, the exhibition is supported by the Kadin/Spiegel Family Endowed Fund and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
When:
Thursday, February 5, 2026
12:00 PM - 8:00 PM CT
Where: Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208 map it
Cost: Free and open to all
Contact:
Lindsay Bosch
lindsay.bosch@northwestern.edu
Group: Block Museum Exhibitions
Category: Fine Arts
Description:
The storied city of Djenné, a center of Islamic learning, study, and scholarship since the twelfth century, is the hometown of Bamako-based photographer Hamdia Traoré (b. 1992, Mali). The thirty portraits in Traore’s series Des marabouts de Djenné (Marabouts of Jenne) reflect his intimate connections to the city’s people and deep history. Learned and devout, marabouts teach in Djenné’s over 50 Qur’anic schools, offer spiritual guidance, and treat ailments through their knowledge of the Qur’an.
Made during a time of political and social upheaval in Mali, these portraits reflect enduring cultural resilience. Each image depicts a marabout seated with the tools of his practice—books, Qur’an boards, amulets, and prayer beads—framed by the architecture and atmosphere of Djenné. The consistent format underscores their collective identity, while individual poses and captions highlight personal roles and neighborhoods.
Traoré’s work will be shown alongside mid-20th-century black-and-white portraits of marabouts by Malian photographers Mamadou Cissé, Abdourahmane Sakaly, and Tijani Sitou. Drawn from the Archive of Malian Photography, these earlier images share visual parallels and deepen the historical context. Together, these images illuminate evolving perspectives on spiritual authority, identity, and visual representation in Mali.
Hamdia Traoré’s “Des marabouts de Djenné” and Muslim Portraiture in Mali” is curated by Kathleen Bickford Berzock, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, in collaboration with Candace M. Keller, Associate Professor, Art History & Visual Culture, Michigan State University. We are grateful to the Archive of Malian Photography (https://amp.matrix.msu.edu/), which provided digital scans of archival works. At The Block, the exhibition is supported by the Kadin/Spiegel Family Endowed Fund and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
When:
Friday, February 6, 2026
12:00 PM - 8:00 PM CT
Where: Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208 map it
Cost: Free and open to all
Contact:
Lindsay Bosch
lindsay.bosch@northwestern.edu
Group: Block Museum Exhibitions
Category: Fine Arts
Description:
The storied city of Djenné, a center of Islamic learning, study, and scholarship since the twelfth century, is the hometown of Bamako-based photographer Hamdia Traoré (b. 1992, Mali). The thirty portraits in Traore’s series Des marabouts de Djenné (Marabouts of Jenne) reflect his intimate connections to the city’s people and deep history. Learned and devout, marabouts teach in Djenné’s over 50 Qur’anic schools, offer spiritual guidance, and treat ailments through their knowledge of the Qur’an.
Made during a time of political and social upheaval in Mali, these portraits reflect enduring cultural resilience. Each image depicts a marabout seated with the tools of his practice—books, Qur’an boards, amulets, and prayer beads—framed by the architecture and atmosphere of Djenné. The consistent format underscores their collective identity, while individual poses and captions highlight personal roles and neighborhoods.
Traoré’s work will be shown alongside mid-20th-century black-and-white portraits of marabouts by Malian photographers Mamadou Cissé, Abdourahmane Sakaly, and Tijani Sitou. Drawn from the Archive of Malian Photography, these earlier images share visual parallels and deepen the historical context. Together, these images illuminate evolving perspectives on spiritual authority, identity, and visual representation in Mali.
Hamdia Traoré’s “Des marabouts de Djenné” and Muslim Portraiture in Mali” is curated by Kathleen Bickford Berzock, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, in collaboration with Candace M. Keller, Associate Professor, Art History & Visual Culture, Michigan State University. We are grateful to the Archive of Malian Photography (https://amp.matrix.msu.edu/), which provided digital scans of archival works. At The Block, the exhibition is supported by the Kadin/Spiegel Family Endowed Fund and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
When:
Saturday, February 7, 2026
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM CT
Where: Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208 map it
Cost: Free and open to all
Contact:
Lindsay Bosch
lindsay.bosch@northwestern.edu
Group: Block Museum Exhibitions
Category: Fine Arts
Description:
The storied city of Djenné, a center of Islamic learning, study, and scholarship since the twelfth century, is the hometown of Bamako-based photographer Hamdia Traoré (b. 1992, Mali). The thirty portraits in Traore’s series Des marabouts de Djenné (Marabouts of Jenne) reflect his intimate connections to the city’s people and deep history. Learned and devout, marabouts teach in Djenné’s over 50 Qur’anic schools, offer spiritual guidance, and treat ailments through their knowledge of the Qur’an.
Made during a time of political and social upheaval in Mali, these portraits reflect enduring cultural resilience. Each image depicts a marabout seated with the tools of his practice—books, Qur’an boards, amulets, and prayer beads—framed by the architecture and atmosphere of Djenné. The consistent format underscores their collective identity, while individual poses and captions highlight personal roles and neighborhoods.
Traoré’s work will be shown alongside mid-20th-century black-and-white portraits of marabouts by Malian photographers Mamadou Cissé, Abdourahmane Sakaly, and Tijani Sitou. Drawn from the Archive of Malian Photography, these earlier images share visual parallels and deepen the historical context. Together, these images illuminate evolving perspectives on spiritual authority, identity, and visual representation in Mali.
Hamdia Traoré’s “Des marabouts de Djenné” and Muslim Portraiture in Mali” is curated by Kathleen Bickford Berzock, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, in collaboration with Candace M. Keller, Associate Professor, Art History & Visual Culture, Michigan State University. We are grateful to the Archive of Malian Photography (https://amp.matrix.msu.edu/), which provided digital scans of archival works. At The Block, the exhibition is supported by the Kadin/Spiegel Family Endowed Fund and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
When:
Sunday, February 8, 2026
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM CT
Where: Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208 map it
Cost: Free and open to all
Contact:
Lindsay Bosch
lindsay.bosch@northwestern.edu
Group: Block Museum Exhibitions
Category: Fine Arts
Description:
The storied city of Djenné, a center of Islamic learning, study, and scholarship since the twelfth century, is the hometown of Bamako-based photographer Hamdia Traoré (b. 1992, Mali). The thirty portraits in Traore’s series Des marabouts de Djenné (Marabouts of Jenne) reflect his intimate connections to the city’s people and deep history. Learned and devout, marabouts teach in Djenné’s over 50 Qur’anic schools, offer spiritual guidance, and treat ailments through their knowledge of the Qur’an.
Made during a time of political and social upheaval in Mali, these portraits reflect enduring cultural resilience. Each image depicts a marabout seated with the tools of his practice—books, Qur’an boards, amulets, and prayer beads—framed by the architecture and atmosphere of Djenné. The consistent format underscores their collective identity, while individual poses and captions highlight personal roles and neighborhoods.
Traoré’s work will be shown alongside mid-20th-century black-and-white portraits of marabouts by Malian photographers Mamadou Cissé, Abdourahmane Sakaly, and Tijani Sitou. Drawn from the Archive of Malian Photography, these earlier images share visual parallels and deepen the historical context. Together, these images illuminate evolving perspectives on spiritual authority, identity, and visual representation in Mali.
Hamdia Traoré’s “Des marabouts de Djenné” and Muslim Portraiture in Mali” is curated by Kathleen Bickford Berzock, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, in collaboration with Candace M. Keller, Associate Professor, Art History & Visual Culture, Michigan State University. We are grateful to the Archive of Malian Photography (https://amp.matrix.msu.edu/), which provided digital scans of archival works. At The Block, the exhibition is supported by the Kadin/Spiegel Family Endowed Fund and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.