Dissident Sisters: Bev Grant and Feminist Activism, 1968–72

An exhibition drawn from the collections of The Block Museum and Northwestern Libraries

During a pivotal period in American public life, Bev Grant participated in and photographed radical political movements in and around New York City. Between 1968 and 1972 she documented the formation of the women’s movement, the Black Panthers, and protests against the Vietnam War. Featuring seventeen photographs by Bev Grant that were recently acquired by The Block, the exhibition tells stories of civil rights and social justice movements in the United States. Revolutionary calls are contextualized with ephemera—posters, pins, newspapers from the collections of the Northwestern University Libraries—as well as works by Chicago artists Peggy Lipschutz, Pearl Hirshfield, and the Women’s Graphic Collective, underscoring the intersectional commitment of radical feminist practices.

Acquisition of works in the exhibition was made possible by the Irwin and Andra S. Press Collection Endowment Fund. The Block is also grateful to OSMOS, which represents the artist. The exhibition has been curated by 2023–24 Block Graduate Fellow Ruslana Lichtzier and Corinne Granof, Academic Curator. The Graduate Fellow is generously supported by The Graduate School (TGS), Northwestern University.