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

The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University will present Dissident Sisters: Bev Grant and Feminist Activism, 1968–72, an original exhibition showcasing the documentary photography of Bev Grant, an American artist whose work captured the fervor and vitality of the feminist movement, anti-war protests and the Black liberation movement during a transformative period in American history. 

“The Block Museum’s exhibitions and collection are focused on activating art’s power as a form of insight, research and knowledge creation that makes human experience visible and material.  The lived American histories that Bev Grant brings to light in her work will find resonance and new meaning with our students and audiences at this moment,” said Lisa Corrin, The Block Museum Ellen Philips Katz Executive Director.

During a pivotal period in American public life, Grant participated in and photographed political movements in and around New York City. Between 1968 and 1972, she documented the actions of the New York Radical Women (NYRW), the Black Panthers, the Young Lords Organization and protests against the Vietnam War. Featuring 17 photographs by Grant that were recently acquired by The Block, the exhibition tells stories of civil rights and social justice movements in the United States. 

Within the exhibition, the fervent moment of the late 1960s is contextualized with ephemera—political posters, pins and newspapers—selected from the collections of the Northwestern Libraries. The exhibition includes items from the libraries’ wide-ranging holdings in Women’s History, Second-Wave Feminism and the Long 1960s. Alongside ephemera from these archives, the exhibition will also display contemporaneous work of Chicago artists Peggy Lipschutz, Pearl Hirshfield and the Chicago Women’s Graphic Collective.

In 1967, Grant attended a women’s liberation workshop that forever altered her artistic direction and social consciousness. Describing this experience as an “awakening,” Grant went on to capture the intersecting struggles for justice through a practice she termed “participant-based photojournalism.” Taking part in iconic moments, such as the 1968 Miss America Pageant protest as both a photographer and a participant, Grant vividly captures the significant social upheaval of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Opposition to the Vietnam War was a unifying force for various social justice movements, and Grant’s photography played a pivotal role in documenting these efforts. The exhibition will feature images from significant anti-war rallies, including the April 1968 event in New York’s Central Park where GIs protested the war and young men burned their draft cards. These photographs reflect a fractured moment in US history, emphasizing protest as both a form of dissent and a fundamental expression of democratic rights.

The exhibition not only includes protest imagery but also documentation of everyday activism, including community programs such as the Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast program. One image offers a rare glimpse into the attempt to form an alliance between the Black Panthers, the Young Lords and the Young Patriots in New York, showcasing their collective efforts to achieve social justice.

“‘Dissident Sisters” is an invitation to engage with a pivotal era through the eyes of an artist who participated in the movements she documented,” said exhibition co-curator Ruslana Lichtzier. “We invite visitors to explore this resonant exhibition and to reflect on the enduring impact of feminist activism and social justice struggles.”  

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.