Opening Celebration – Woven Being: Art for Zhegagoynak/Chicagoland: Block Museum - Northwestern University
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Opening Celebration – Woven Being: Art for Zhegagoynak/Chicagoland

Close up of woven basket
Conversations
February
1
2:00 PM-3:30 PM

Event Details

Date & Time:

Sat February 1, 2025
2:00 PM-3:30 PM

Location:

Bienen School of Music - Galvin Recital Hall
70 Arts Circle Dr
Evanston, IL 60208

Audience:

Open to the public

Details:

Zhegagoynak, the place now known as Chicagoland, has long been a critical hub for Indigenous art. Through the perspectives of four artists with connections to Zhegagoynak, the exhibition Woven Being: Art for Zhegagoynak/Chicago explores confluences that continue to shape Indigenous creative practices in the region and beyond.

Our opening program will celebrate the contributions of collaborating exhibition artists Andrea Carlson (Grand Portage Ojibwe/European descent), Kelly Church (Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Tribe of Pottawatomi/Ottawa), Nora Moore Lloyd (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe), and Jason Wesaw (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi) in dialogue with Jordan Poorman Cocker (Kiowa), Woven Being Terra Foundation Guest Co-Curator.

Their discussion will touch on the interwoven stories that are part of their practices, and the questions the exhibition raises about the histories, present experiences, and futures of Zhegagoynak.

Drop by the Block Museum from 12:00-1:30pm before the talk to explore the galleries, enjoy hands-on activities, and visit our Community Room. A public reception in the Louis Room at Norris University Center (1999 Campus Drive, 2nd floor) will follow the opening programThe museum will remain open until 6pm. 

Programs are open to all, on a first-come first-served basis. RSVPs are not required, but are appreciated.

RSVP

 

Opening Celebration Locations, Schedule, and Parking Information:

  • 12:00-1:30pm -- Open galleries and activities at The Block (No RSVP)
  • 2:00-3:30pm -- Opening Program, Galvin Recital Hall. Seating is first-come, first-served. (RSVP)
  • 4:00-6:00pm -- Reception in the Louis Room, Norris University Student Center (No RSVP)

The Block Museum of Art is located at 40 Arts Circle Drive on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University. Our opening program at 2:00pm will be held in Galvin Recital Hall at the Bienen School of Music (70 Arts Circle Dr); the reception to follow will be held in the Louis Room at Norris University Center (1999 Campus Drive, 2nd floor). Both locations are adjacent to the Block Museum. A campus map is here 

Free parking is available all day in the open lot south of the museum and the South Campus Parking Garage (1847 Campus Drive). These parking lots are a 5-minute walk from the Block Museum and the Bienen School of Music, where the opening program will be held.  

Block staff will be available throughout the day to assist with any questions. Additional information and driving/public transit/walking directions are available here.

 

Collaborating Artists and Guest Co-Curator:  

Andrea Carlson (Grand Portage Ojibwe/European descent, born 1974) works in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and video to create vividly intricate imagery that maps the entanglements of cultural narratives and institutional authority. Her current research involves land narratives, decolonization, Indigenous futurisms, and assimilation metaphors in film.  

Kelly Church (Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Tribe of Pottawatomi/Ottawa, born 1967) is a fifth- generation black ash basket maker, as well as a fiber artist, educator, activist, and culture keeper. She learned black ash basketry from her father, Bill Church, and cousin, John Pigeon. 

Nora Moore Lloyd (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, born 1947) was trained as a photographer and videographer. She works in multiple mediums to create artworks that document the stories of Indigenous elders and connect with cultural practices related to harvesting birch bark and wild rice. Nora has been an active member of Chicago’s Native American community for decades. 

Jason Wesaw (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, born 1974) makes multimedia installations, oil pastel drawings, ceramics, and textile works that use abstraction to reference land and relate stories that are rooted in place and the acknowledgment of spirit. He serves as a peacemaker in his community. 

Jordan Poorman Cocker, an enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe, is the Terra Foundation Guest Co-Curator for Woven Being: Art for Zhegagoynak/Chicagoland and the Curator of Indigenous Art at the Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville, AR. Jordan holds a Bachelor of Design from Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, with a focus on spatial design and Indigenous design theory. She received a Masters of Museum and Heritage Practice from Victoria University of Wellington in 2017, where her practicum included the study of Indigenous museum practices with the National Museum of New Zealand. She is a PhD. candidate with Auckland University of Technology. Her Indigenous curatorial methodology and approach utilizes oral histories, multivocality and Indigenous knowledge systems to explore intergenerational relationships within Indigenous Art Forms from community-based lenses. 

 

Woven Being is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities. Lead support for Woven Being is generously provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Major support is provided by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts , The Joyce Foundation, and by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. 

Woven Being supporters logo block

Contact The Block Museum of Art for more information: (847) 491-4000 or email us at block-museum@northwestern.edu