Unveiling “A Site of Struggle” at the Photography Network Annual Gathering

Alongside their efforts in shaping exhibitions and programming at The Block, the staff frequently engage in professional endeavors within the broader museum sector. In October, Erin Northington, Susan and Stephen Wilson Associate Director for Campus and Community Education and Engagement, traveled to Arizona to attend the fourth annual conference of the Photography Network. Erin took a moment to contemplate her experience.

At the end of October 2024, I was privileged to represent the Block Museum during the Photography Network’s fourth annual conference to present our exhibition focused on community engagement practices in A Site of Struggle: American Art Against Anti-Black Violence, along with how these strategies have progressed at the Block, and some significant insights gained.

The Photography Network is a national collective of artists, curators, and academics that promotes dialogue, research, and innovative methodologies in the examination and application of photography concerning art, culture, society, and history. Hosted in Tucson, Arizona, in collaboration with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, the 2024 symposium, In Relation: Photography’s Communities, examined two fundamental questions: “In what ways have artists utilized photography to explore issues of visibility, belonging, and representation? What capabilities does photography possess to create connections across various distances, and act as a means of community activism?”

I took part in a private roundtable workshop aimed at discussing case studies on collaboration with Community Advisory Boards. I presented alongside colleagues from the Center for Creative Photography who shared insights about their community advisors for the Louis Carlos Bernal: Retrospectiva and The Art Galleries at Black Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, and the community-focused initiatives they led for the 2022 exhibition In Conversation: Will Wilson at the Delaware Art Museum. My talk centered on our Evanston Community Advisory Board for A Site of Struggle and how our advisors influenced visitor experiences, co-developed programming, and facilitated the establishment of new connections for a lasting impact at The Block and within our community. Through the direct discussion that ensued with symposium participants, we collectively explored how museums can – and ought to – effectively provide space for voices and viewpoints that are often marginalized in higher education and museum practices, and how this inclusive approach enhances our exhibitions, expands our comprehension of our collections, invigorates our roles in our communities, and drives meaningful transformation.

We enjoyed two vibrant days filled with scholarly presentations, artist panels, enriching discussions, guided tours of Laura Aguilar: Nudes in Nature at the Phoenix Art Museum and current displays at the Center for Creative Photography, as well as an evening walking tour of Tucson’s past, present, and future led by Borderlandia, a bi-national organization dedicated to enhancing public understanding of borderlands. I departed Tucson feeling inspired, rejuvenated, and focused on how artists, museums, and scholars can ignite, nurture, and uphold community across cultural and historical divides in essential ways.

Contributed by Erin Northington, Susan and Stephen Wilson Associate Director, Campus and Community Education and Engagement