Redevelopment of Norris University Center’s East Lawn to begin this summer
April 5, 2024
EVANSTON, Ill. --- There’s a new hot spot on the Evanston campus for members of the Northwestern University community and visitors to the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art. Opening Oct. 16, the Block Spot is a place to relax, study, see art and meet friends.
A light-filled lounge in the museum’s first floor lobby, Block Spot is equipped with Wi-Fi and offers a comfy sofa and chairs, study spaces and chalkboard walls where visitors can share their thoughts about Block exhibitions, films and programs or leave messages for friends.
The museum will unveil the Block Spot at an opening party from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16. The celebration will also welcome Susy Bielak, the Block’s new associate director of engagement/curator of public practice. Bielak will speak at 5:15 p.m. about her vision for connecting Block programming and activities to the campus and community-at- large. The celebration is free and open to the general public.
The Block Spot will be a site for new kinds of programs at the Block, as well as a great place for students to hang out on campus. “In creating this gathering space we are signaling to Northwestern students that the Block is their museum,” said Lisa Graziose Corrin, the museum’s Ellen Philips Katz Director.
Announcing the Block Spot is a neon sign that playfully alternates between the Block’s logo and the word “look.” Visible from the outside, it aims to draw visitors into the museum.
Block Spot also features an interior counter running along the eastern and southern wall of windows, creating a perfect place for conversation, contemplation, and soaking up the sun. The completion of the Arts Green on south campus in spring 2015 will make the counter space a perfect place to take in what is expected to be one of the most vibrant destinations on campus.
Block Spot was created with James Geier, president and co-founder of Chicago’s award-winning 555 International, and with input from undergraduates in industrial designer and adjunct lecturer John Hartman’s industrial design projects class at the Segal Design Institute, based at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences junior Youjin Lee came up with the idea of the counter space along the wall of windows. “I thought it would encourage students to come in both to study and explore the Block,” Lee said.
While the Block’s galleries are closed this fall, visitors to Block Cinema screenings, lectures and other special programs will be able to enjoy the new lounge.
The Block Museum is located at 40 Arts Circle Drive. Call (847) 491-4000 or visit Block Museum online for information.
