Ben Creech Film/Video/Audio Technician | Block Museum of Art
Ben Creech Film/Video/Audio Technician | Block Museum of Art
The Block Museum of Art is set to host a significant exhibition, "Woven Being: Art for Zhegagoynak/Chicagoland," from January 25 to July 13, 2025. This exhibition aims to celebrate the rich Indigenous art and culture of the Chicagoland area, historically known as Zhegagoynak. The event will feature over 80 artworks by 33 artists, including newly commissioned pieces.
The exhibition is curated through the collaboration of four artists with ties to Zhegagoynak: 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). Their work explores the confluences shaping Indigenous creative practices in the region.
Jordan Poorman Cocker, Terra Foundation Guest Co-Curator and Curator of Indigenous Art at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, stated that "Woven Being counters this by centering the ideas, choices, and voices of Indigenous artists." The exhibition seeks to reveal Indigenous stories often omitted from mainstream narratives.
"Woven Being" includes a diverse range of artworks that highlight shared aesthetics, materials, values, communities, and kinship among interconnected artists. Kathleen Bickford Berzock, co-curator and Block Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs noted that "these perspectives are central to understanding Chicago’s specific cultural landscape."
The opening celebration on February 1 will feature open galleries and a keynote panel conversation with collaborating artists. Janet Dees, Woven Being co-curator said that "the selected art is a gift to the land and to our audiences."
This initiative is part of Art Design Chicago, highlighting Chicago's artistic heritage. Lisa Graziose Corrin, The Block’s Ellen Philips Katz Executive Director expressed gratitude for support from partners like the Terra Foundation.