The Visual Media Lab of the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies maintains a continuously expanding collection of digital images and a 35mm slide archive that supports the daily teaching and ongoing research of the faculty and graduate students in the department, and the general teaching and research of visual culture at Duke University. Works of art, architecture, archaeology, and cultural heritage from prehistoric times to the present, from Western and non-Western cultures, are represented.
The holdings currently number over 110,000 locally produced digital images, 80,000 commercially licensed digital images, and a 35mm slide archive of 325,000 images. The collection contains images of traditional media such as architecture, drawing, painting, photography, prints, and sculpture; the many applied or decorative arts in glass, ivory, jewelry, metal, wood, etc.; newer media such as body art, computer art, digital art, performance art, conceptual art, video, etc.; and images of social, cultural, and historical documentation. The University also subscribes to ARTstor through the University Libraries.
The use of materials in the Visual Media Lab is subject to the copyright restrictions of the 1976 Copyright Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The VMC abides by the Fair Use provisions of the Copyright Act and also follows the Image Collection Guidelines produced by the Visual Resources Association. Materials accessed by patrons are to be used for educational, non-profit use only.
In addition to image collection production and management, the Visual Media Lab is also responsible for department communications and publications (online and print), the departmental website, and maintaining the exhibitions areas in the departmental spaces in Bays 9-12, Smith Warehouse.
The Visual Media Lab has two staff members: John Taormina, Curator of Visual Resources, and Jack Edinger, Imaging Specialist/Web Manager.
The Visual Media Lab facilities are located in Bay 9, A280 (Workroom), Bay 10, A265 (Scan Lab), Bay 11, A240 and A242 (Staff Offices), and Bay 12, A 112 (Slide Archive) of Smith Warehouse. We are open to the campus community Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:00. Please contact John Taormina about other arrangements or with specific questions, taormina@duke.edu.