Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art

Evanston, United States

4.1

Closed now

11 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 847-491-4000
Website:
www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu
Address:
40 Arts Cir Dr, Evanston, IL, 60208
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.2 miSheridan & Emerson
0.2 miChicago & Sheridan
0.3 miSheridan & Foster SB
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Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Evanston) 10:08 PM Saturday, June 21, 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art is the fine arts museum of Northwestern University and Evanston. It serves the academic and cultural needs of the University and community through thought-​provoking exhibitions, a rich and diverse permanent collection, original scholarship, dynamic educational and cultural programs, and classical and contemporary film screenings at Block Cinema.

History

Established in 1980.

In 1980, distinguished art collectors and benefactors Mary and Leigh Block donated funds to Northwestern University for the construction of an art exhibition venue. In recognition of their gift, the University named the changing exhibition space the Mary and Leigh Block Gallery. As other Northwestern departments transferred artworks to its care, the Gallery also started an art collection that has since grown to 5,000 pieces through donations and purchases.

In recognition of its growing collection and its expanding programming, the Gallery became the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art in 1998. The Block embarked on a major reconstruction project in 1999 and reopened in a new facility in September of 2000. Designed by acclaimed Chicago architect Dirk Lohan (the grandson of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe), and substantially funded by a generous gift from businessman, lawyer, and philanthropist Paul Leffmann, the glass, steel and limestone structure tripled the size of the original facility.

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11 reviews of Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art

No registration required
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
As an employee at NU, I never really explored to ins and outs of the campus. I would see signs on CTA advertising the exhibits but would fail to visit Block to check them out.
A friend was on campus and wanted to hang out do I took this as an opportunity to finally check out the museum and their Kashmir exhibit. Needless to say, I should gave been coming regularly since I started wirking at NU.
The staff are friendly and very courteous. They don’t hover around waiting for questions. They pretty much just left me to be as I marveled at the pieces on display. It was serenely quiet which added to the experience. I came out of there amazed at what I saw. It compelled me to even drop something in the donation box!
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
I love checking out museums of any stripe and stopped in here while visiting the Northwestern Campus for the Evanston portion of this year’s Humanities Festival. The building was hard to pinpoint– at least for me– but I made my way here and I enjoyed taking in the art. As other reviewers mentioned, this is a small museum but as the saying goes, good things come in small packages. The exhibitions are innovative and remind me of what I would read about in the New York Times or an arts journal. Drawing from its collections and works from other institutions and private collectors, the Museum curates its own exhibitions – often in collaboration with Northwestern University faculty – and hosts traveling exhibitions from peer institutions.
On display when I visited were an exhibit of woven materials/​textiles; an Ecological Looking gallery, featuring a survey of industry — mining, agriculture, etc. — viewed through an environmental lens; and a grouping of Wangechi Mutu works. This last was the largest exhibit, as it includes multimedia and is staged in the Block’s main gallery. The fact that I was able to look at everything in detail, and nicely fill the time I had between a lecture and before happy hour made me a happy camper. I probably wouldn’t make this museum a destination, but for art appreciators who are looking for a unique experience, this place is worth a stop.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
A really interesting little museum that is not well enough known around Chicago. It has fascinating, always changing exhibitions (but no permanent collection on display). Lots of parking nearby, but I am giving only 4 stars since it is hard to get to the gallery by public transportation.
Place rating: 4
Highland Park, IL
I’m completely fascinated with this jewel of a museum right on the Northwestern campus. It’s really small. It’s well curated and has much to offer.
A lifetime participant in music and the arts, I was giddy excited for our family to attend a new music concert of Terry Riley’s minimalist masterpiece In C (yep my kids can officially claim this to be their first memorable concert on their future Unilocal profiles). Performed by a student-​run group called Alternative Current, they played in the Main Gallery where the Terry Adkins exhibit is currently on display. A way to blend art and music together, I was completely impressed by the number of minimalist music lovers in attendance, in addition to the quality of the musicians and of the exhibit itself. Listening and walking around the room enjoying the sculptures and the company of others, it was a unique experience for me.
A first-​class hosting a variety of changing exhibits, guest lecturers, films you won’t typically see anywhere else. The film series I look forward to coming back to for sure. If I lived closer I would visit more often, but it will take the unusual and different for me to make the trip. Can’t wait to return!
Easily accessible with a nearby lot. Suggested donation $ 5.
Place rating: 4
Dana Point, CA
This is a great local museum. It’s fairly small but sometimes has really nice exhibits. It’s organized, well curated easy to get to, easy to park and affordable (donation only).
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
i work for NU and this is the only thing that i like about it.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
I really wish I knew about this place long ago. This is a small art museum, but the exhibitions rotate frequently and what they show is first rate. This past weekend I saw a collection of early Robert Mapplethorpe Polaroids and a collection of 16th century works on loan from the Prado in Madrid. All of the pieces are printed works, no sculpture or other 3 dimensional pieces. Looking ahead to what’s coming up, I may have to make a trip there again soon.
Parking is ample and easy to access — there is a lot about a half block from the Block. The people working were all very polite and knowledgeable. The price was just right. It’s free to enter, but a donation of about $ 5 is appropriate. The scenery around the Block is nice too. It’s right by the lake and surrounded by water on 2 sides. All good reasons to make your way to the Block Museum of Art.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
I visited the Block Museum to see the Design in the Age of Darwin exhibition, and was completely blown away. It was the most extensive as well as cohesive exhibition concerning late 19th to early 20th century design and decorative arts that I’ve ever seen. Textiles and objects ranging from William Morris through Arts and Crafts, Prairie School, Art Nouveau to Art Deco were presented in a way that communicated the development and evolution (forgive me) of the various forms in an eloquent narrative. The objects collected for the exhibition were amazing, drawn from sources located all over the United States and Europe. I would love to see the permanent collection that could rival this temporary exhibit. Full credit to the curators (both from Northwestern) for obtaining the objects as well as the masterful way in which the exhibition was curated. The security guard teased me about how long I was in the galleries. The museum doesn’t charge admission, but there are donation boxes as well as a small selection of gift items located near the entrance. While the Design in the Age of Darwin exhibition is over, I recommend that anyone interested in the above-​mentioned movements pick up the exhibition catalogue published by Northwestern University Press.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
They have some real nice exhibitions here — present show is Magdalena Abakanowicz: Reality of Dreams — well worth seeing.
Impossible to park, worth it to print out a map as it’s poorly pointed to once within recessses of NU campus — take the el red line to purple line and walk over.
But then get out of evanston quickly because those in the know know — evanston downtown is annoying as hellz. If one more evanston doofshus in a prius sanctimoniously assumes they have the right of way as they cut in front of me I’m going to…
Block admission is free but come on throw them a couple bucks on your way in.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
The Block Museum of Art is, in ranking against other collegiate museums, one of the smallest museums with an even smaller, medium-​specific collection. The Museum only collects works on paper, including some photography and a few pieces of outdoor sculpture, yet touring exhibitions span myriad mediums and periods of art history – works on paper, textiles, video and time-​arts pieces, process art installations… an endless list and certainly one of the most diverse of any museum in Chicagoland. The paltry size of the museum, even though supported by Northwestern University, and its collecting philosophy, ensure no blockbusters or well-​known contemporary artist exhibitions; this is a «quiet» museum with little fanfare or extras except a tiny museum shop the size of a walk-​in closet.
My only concern with the Museum is that there are few compelling reasons for me to visit on a regular basis, given their location, no permanent collection on view and wildly differing exhibition offerings. As I live in downtown Chicago and don’t own a car, the Evanston-​based Museum practically becomes a half-​day trip since it is a very long walk from the CTA purple line, and bus options are limited unless you navigate yourself ahead of time.
Place rating: 5
Alameda, CA
I have worked here for three years now in the Cinema part of the museum, where we play some truly great films (Seven Samurai, Chinatown, and The Princess Bride to name a few). Moreover, we also have special events and movie premieres. The variety of films is matched by the quality of small exhibits change, which change seasonally and range from sculpture to photography. Oh, it’s also right by the lake, so afterwards you can enjoy the view of the Chicago skyline on these last few sunny days of October.