Bev Grant / Art and Activism (working title)

In 2023 The Block Museum acquired a group of photographs by folk musician and photographer Bev Grant. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Grant participated in and photographed left wing and radical protests in and around New York City. She was a member of the group New York Radical Women and documented events associated with the group, as well as the Moratorium on the Vietnam War and other anti-war protests, pro-abortion rallies, and the Miss America Pageant protest. Grant captured rallies, demonstrations, and such community events as the Black Panther Party Free Breakfast, and her work presents a view of events reflecting broad political engagement and social justice demonstrations that defined the late 1960s and 70s in the US.  The exhibition will consider the period that Grant photographed and present new acquisitions by Grant, alongside related works in the collection from the era.

Curated by 2023–24 Block Art History Graduate Fellow Ruslana Lichtzier with Corinne Granof, Academic Curator