Athletics Partnership
The "Reframe" Project
Launched in the 2022–23 academic year, Reframe is a continuing initiative by The Block Museum of Art in collaboration with Northwestern Athletics and Recreation. The program connects student-athletes, coaches, and staff with the museum’s collection, using art as a catalyst for dialogue around identity, belonging, empathy, and community.
Reframe was developed in partnership with former Wildcat student-athlete and artist Dwight White II. Together, The Block and NU Athletics designed art-centered programming, including a self-guided teaching resource and discussion guide based on works from the museum’s collection. This resource aims to support meaningful conversations across campus and is expected to be publicly available in 2024.
In February 2024, The Block hosted its first Reframe trainings, bringing together athletics staff—from coaches to academic advisors—and student-athletes from five teams to explore art as a tool for reflection and connection. Sessions focused on works like She’s Mighty, Mighty (2017) by Deborah Roberts, sparking thoughtful conversations on gender, race, mental health, and teamwork both on and off the field.
That same month, The Block and NU Athletics co-hosted a Reframe evening event at Walter Athletics Center in celebration of Black History Month. The program invited the broader student-athlete community to engage with digital works from the collection through dialogue, storytelling, and creative expression. The following night, Dwight White was honored at the Northwestern vs. Michigan men’s basketball game as part of the “Together We Win” campaign, recognizing his role in advancing inclusive community-building through the arts.
Reframe will continue to grow as an annual collaboration, deepening the connection between athletics, the arts, and student life at Northwestern.
Athletics Partnership Stories
About Dwight White II
Chicago based artist Dwight White II straddles the line between fine art, sociology and experiential design. Raised in Houston TX and made in Chicago, IL.
White discovered the intersection of consumer insights, sport and artistic experiences while attending Northwestern University as a student-athlete. Nuanced Black Human behavior and personal experiences are prevalent subjects throughout his work.
White is a multi-disciplinary creative, with ideas and strategy that originate by thoroughly understanding how consumers think and make decisions in regards to brands, products and the arts. He utilizes insights to inspire, innovate and explore relevant material with culture through creativity. He has worked to build strategies for growth with organizations across industries by understanding complex societal structures and current behaviors of consumers.
With a background in Marketing and Consumer Insights, White has been inspired by the ways in which one can capture truth visually to engage and connect with the people. He loves the challenge of taking the consumer beyond just seeing the art - he believes they should feel it. His confidence and commitment to his craft is inspiring as he embraces his function in society to document the history of connected cultural experiences through art.
