Kyle Stephan has been named the Steven and Lisa Munster Tananbaum Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University. Her official start is slated for August 2025. Stephan's extensive experience as a curator, scholar, and educator will guide her influence on exhibitions, collections, and public engagement at the museum.
Lisa Corrin, the Ellen Philips Katz Executive Director of The Block Museum, highlighted Stephan's potential impact, stating, "Kyle Stephan brings a dynamic vision for the future of modern and contemporary art at The Block."
Stephan comes from Harvard Art Museums, where she served as the Hakuta Family Nam June Paik Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow and later as a consulting curator in modern and contemporary art. Her focus on aesthetics and politics in contemporary art has explored subjects such as global artistic practices during the Cold War and art from Latin America and the Global South.
Several exhibitions and projects showcase her experience, including "Wolf Vostell: Dé-coll/age Is Your Life" and "The Matter of Photography in the Americas" at Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center. Additionally, she has worked independently at institutions like the Museum of Modern Art in São Paulo and the Hayward Gallery in London.
Stephan has taught at the University of Southern California and has been involved with educational initiatives at Harvard and Stanford. Her role as a curator and educator aligns with The Block's mission as a research, teaching, and creative exploration resource.
Expressing her enthusiasm for the new role, Stephan said, "I am honored to join The Block Museum and Northwestern University at such an exciting time for contemporary art and curatorial practice."
The Tananbaum Curator position, established in 2017 with an endowment from Lisa and Steven Tananbaum, supports The Block's dedication to modern and contemporary art.
The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University encourages questioning, experimentation, and collaboration with visual arts as a foundation for deepening understandings of human experience.