Dissident Sisters: Bev Grant and Feminist Activism, 1968–72: Block Museum - Northwestern University
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Dissident Sisters: Bev Grant and Feminist Activism, 1968–72

September 18-December 1, 2024
Alsdorf Gallery
Bev Grant (American, born 1942), New York Radical Women organizers at a planning meeting, Southern Conference Educational Fund offices, New York City, Summer 1968 [detail], gelatin silver print. Image courtesy of the artist and OSMOS.

An exhibition drawn from the collections of The Block Museum and Northwestern Libraries

During a pivotal period in American public life, Bev Grant participated in and photographed radical political movements in and around New York City. Between 1968 and 1972 she documented the formation of the women’s movement, the Black Panthers, and protests against the Vietnam War. Featuring seventeen photographs by Bev Grant that were recently acquired by The Block, the exhibition tells stories of civil rights and social justice movements in the United States. Revolutionary calls are contextualized with ephemera—posters, pins, newspapers from the collections of the Northwestern University Libraries—as well as works by Chicago artists Peggy Lipschutz, Pearl Hirshfield, and the Women’s Graphic Collective, underscoring the intersectional commitment of radical feminist practices.

Acquisition of works in the exhibition was made possible by the Irwin and Andra S. Press Collection Endowment Fund. The Block is also grateful to OSMOS, which represents the artist. The exhibition has been curated by 2023–24 Block Graduate Fellow Ruslana Lichtzier and Corinne Granof, Academic Curator. The Graduate Fellow is generously supported by The Graduate School (TGS), Northwestern University.

Bev Grant (American, born 1942) Jeannette Rankin Brigade, Washington, DC, January 15, 1968

Bev Grant, Jeannette Rankin Brigade, Washington, DC, January 15, 1968

1968, Printed 2023 Inkjet print, Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Irwin and Andra S. Press Collection Endowment Fund purchase. Image courtesy of the artist and OSMOS.
Womankind is awakening.

Womankind is awakening, 1971

Poster, 26 × 20 1/16 in. Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections, Northwestern University Libraries, Evanston, IL
Bev Grant (American, born 1942) New York Radical Women organizers at a planning meeting, Southern Conference Educational Fund offices, New York City, Summer 1968

Bev Grant, New York Radical Women organizers at a planning meeting, Southern Conference Educational Fund offices, New York City, Summer 1968

1968, Gelatin silver print, Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Irwin and Andra S. Press Collection Endowment Fund purchase. Image courtesy of the artist and OSMOS.
Marzo 8, Día Internacional de la Mujer = March 8th, International Women's Day

Marzo 8, Día Internacional de la Mujer = March 8th, International Women's Day, 1975

Poster, Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections, Northwestern University Libraries, Evanston, IL
Bev Grant (American, born 1942) Welcoming the Eastern Caravan, Poor People’s Campaign, New York City, May 11, 1968

Bev Grant, Welcoming the Eastern Caravan, Poor People’s Campaign, New York City, May 11, 196

1968, printed 2023 Inkjet print, Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Irwin and Andra S. Press Collection Endowment Fund purchase. Image courtesy of the artist and OSMOS.
Palante; August 15, 1970

Palante; August 15, 1970

Newspaper, Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections, Northwestern University Libraries, Evanston, IL
Bev Grant (American, born 1942) Black Panther Party Free Breakfast Program, Harlem, New York, Spring 1969

Bev Grant, Black Panther Party Free Breakfast Program, Harlem, New York, Spring 1969

1969, Gelatin silver print, Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Irwin and Andra S. Press Collection Endowment Fund purchase. Image courtesy of the artist and OSMOS.
Venus symbol with fist, Ca. 1969

Venus symbol with fist, Ca. 1969

Pin, Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections, Northwestern University Libraries, Evanston, IL
Bev Grant (American, born 1942) Legalize Abortion Rally, Rockefeller Center, New York, March 24, 1968

Bev Grant, Legalize Abortion Rally, Rockefeller Center, New York, March 24, 1968

1968, printed 2023, Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, purchase funds provided by Diane Solomon. Image courtesy of the artist and OSMOS.
Sisters sisters, we do not consent [to] war

Sisters sisters, we do not consent [to] war, 1970-1975

Poster, Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections, Northwestern University Libraries, Evanston, IL

Explore Dissident Sisters

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Inside the Exhibition

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Exhibition images and credits available at this link. For additional media inquiries, please contact Lindsay Bosch, Associate Director, Marketing, Communications and Digital Strategy (lindsay.bosch [at] northwestern.edu)