Have an AAHVS story to share?
Please send all news releases and any other media inquiries to:
An interdisciplinary team of Duke faculty is among the international recipients of a new grant from the Schmidt Sciences Humanities and Artificial Intelligence Virtual Institute (HAVI), a program designed to bridge the gap between AI technology and humanistic inquiry. Led by Martin Fischer, Research Professor of Chemistry and Physics; Shira Faigenbaum-Golovin, Assistant Professor of Mathematics from Bar-Ilan University (formerly of Duke); and John K. Delaney, from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the project… read more about Duke Researchers Awarded Grant to Reveal Hidden Histories of Artworks Through AI and Imaging »
Duke’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences has invited its faculty to submit proposals for the creation of new research initiatives on campus.Following the successful launches of the SPACE Initiative and the Society-Centered AI Initiative, the Trinity Research Initiative will support new directions for interdisciplinary research through seed funding for nascent research collaborations, community-building, and complementary educational and outreach activities.Open to all areas of research and… read more about Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Invites Proposals for New Research Initiatives »
Gennifer Weisenfeld doesn’t just research — she excavates. "The Fine Art of Persuasion: Corporate Advertising Design, Nation, and Empire in Modern Japan" was released by Duke University Press in February 2025. Her latest book, “The Fine Art of Persuasion: Corporate Advertising Design, Nation, and Empire in Modern Japan,” is the result of a 20-year odyssey sifting through the glossy, persuasive and often underappreciated world of modern Japanese corporate advertising. From the… read more about Gennifer Weisenfeld Explores Corporate Advertising in Modern Japan »
On Friday, November 14, 2025, Richard J. Powell, John Spencer Bassett Distinguished Professor of Art & Art History at Duke University, was inducted into the American Philosophical Society. The American Philosophical Society (APS), the oldest learned society in the United States, was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of “promoting useful knowledge.” The Society is unusual among learned societies because its membership is comprised of top scholars from a wide variety of academic disciplines. The roster… read more about Powell Inducted into American Philosophical Society »
The Music Graduate Student Association, in conjunction with Duke Music and Erich Barganier, presented an evening of world premieres written for the Abele Saxophone Quartet on November 22, 2025. This collaboration included selections from Terry Riley's saxophone quartet, Chanting the Light of Foresight (1987), in addition to three new pieces written for the quartet:Bill Seaman - The Quiet Momentum of Sadness and Silence Chris Williams - Saxophone Quartet No. 2 Erich Barganier - Wound Round The LightThe Abele… read more about Abele Saxophone Quartet performs music by AAHVS professor »
The UNC-Duke Critical Games symposium was held to bring together scholars and artists from UNC and Duke and beyond who engage with the critical study and practice of games, both as a medium of expression and as a cultural phenomenon. The emphasis of this gathering is on art, design, culture, pedagogy, and critique. The development and sustainability of game studies and game design within and across our campuses with leaders from our respective campuses, and beyond was discussed.More information here: https://cmac.duke.edu/… read more about Duke-UNC Critical Games Symposium 2025 »
The Anson African Burial Memorial (AABM) will commemorate the site of the reinterment of thirty-six (36) enslaved Africans/African Americans on George Street in Charleston. It will serve as a memorial for not only those Ancestors but also as a memorial to the thousands of enslaved African/African Americans buried in unmarked graves throughout Charleston. The memorial will recognize their contributions in building and supporting the economy of the City of Charleston.The AABM commissioned the noted sculptor Stephen Hayes to… read more about Anson African Burial Memorial Sculpture Commission »
On North Carolina’s low-lying coast, where trunks of dead trees rise silver and bare from dark waters, a team of storytellers trace how the past continues to shape the future. Through the Bass Connections project, Ghost (Forest) Stories: Unearthing History and Climate Change, they bring together science, history and art to reveal how centuries of human activity have transformed the Albemarle–Pamlico Peninsula, while uncovering what it all means in an era of rising sea levels and intensifying hurricanes… read more about Ghost (Forest) Stories: Uncovering the Past to Understand a Changing Coast »
For Jackie No, necessity is the mother of invention and reinvention. Immersed in art from a young age, she clearly saw art school in her cards. But when she joined a local indie band in high school, her career path hit an unexpected note — all thanks to her pinkies.“I taught myself how to play the electric guitar for the band, and after a while realized my technique couldn’t progress because I have these really short pinkies,” she confesses. “Around this time, my high school was piloting an engineering course that… read more about Pinkies, Prototypes and Endless Possibilities »
Growing up with two artists for parents, Mira Xenia Schwerda, assistant professor of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, rebelled by considering a career in diplomacy. Yet, soon, she found herself circling back to art, but with a twist: she became an art historian. Schwerda studies the intersections of photography, new media, modern Middle Eastern art and global print culture. Her research and teaching examine the global impact of photography, from its inception to the present day. In the past, the… read more about From Captions to Culture, Mira Xenia Schwerda Studies How Images Shape History »
Every movie starts with a dream, and since 2020, the Robert E. Pristo Filmmaking Award has been the launchpad for Cinematic Arts students wanting to turn their filmmaking dreams into reality. Made possible by the generosity of anonymous donors, the Pristo Award has supported a wide range of filmmaking expenses: from hiring actors and securing locations to covering equipment rentals, production design and post-production costs. Past awardees have explored a remarkable range of genres, spanning narrative films,… read more about Fueling Bold Visions in Film: The Robert E. Pristo Filmmaking Award »
Duets Season 2 Episode 5 Duke faculty Pedro Lasch and UNC faculty Sherrill Roland’s artistic collaborations ask: How does art reclaim our humanity? After spending ten months in prison for a crime he didn’t commit and for which he was exonerated, Roland returned to his art practice not just to heal, but to challenge. Through a fellowship with Lasch’s Social Practice Lab — which brings together scholars, artists, and activists — Roland created the exhibit “Processing Systems: Numbers,” a reckoning with… read more about Beyond the Frame: Art as Reckoning and Reimagination »
Philadelphia Inquirer Op-EdProfessor Jasmine Cobb wrote an Op-Ed piece, “U.S. universities must think critically about African American archival materials,” for the July 31 edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/african-american-repatriation-museums-harvard-penn-20250611.html read more about Philadelphia Inquirer Op-Ed by Jasmine Cobb »
Edward Triplett is an assistant professor of the practice of Art, Art History & Visual Studies. (Photo courtesy of Triplett) When Edward Triplett first stood among the ruins of a Spanish medieval fortress, he wasn’t just looking at weathered stone. He was looking for a story.And he found one. Using tools such as drone photography and procedural 3D modeling to virtually reconstruct historic fortifications around Spain and Portugal, the assistant professor of the practice of Art, Art… read more about Castles Crumbling: Using the Digital Humanities to Reimagine Medieval Iberia »
New Book: The Fine Art of PersuasionWalter H. Annenberg Distinguished Professor Gennifer Weisenfeld’s latest book, The Fine Art of Persuasion: Corporate Advertising, Design, Nation + Empire in Modern Japan, has been published by Duke Press.From the Duke Press website:Commercial art is more than just mass-produced publicity; it constructs social and political ideologies that impact the public’s everyday life. In The Fine Art of Persuasion, Gennifer Weisenfeld examines the evolution of Japanese… read more about New Book: The Fine Art of Persuasion »
Eight faculty in Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences have been honored with named professorships, effective July 1.These endowed positions recognize leadership and commitment to excellence in scholarship and research. Their recipients are outstanding teachers, mentors and researchers whose contributions are invaluable to the College of Arts & Sciences, as well as their students and colleagues.“Trinity is defined by the strength of its faculty, and we are extraordinarily fortunate to count these… read more about Eight Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Honored With Named Professorships »
The following is a partial list of national, university, school and departmental awards presented to the members of the Class of 2025. In some awards where there are multiple winners, only members of the Class of 2025 are included. read more about Department Honors and Laurels for the Class of 2025 »
“See yourself in it. Don’t hide,” the artist Pedro Lasch urged a packed audience at the Asheville Art Museum last week. He was discussing Coatlicue & Las Meninas: The Stanford Edition (2007/2025), his ten-foot black mirror merging Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas (1656) and the Mexica deity Coatlicue (1400s), which was on view upstairs.The artwork was commissioned for “What Can Become of Us?,” a year-long collaboration between the Stanford Institute for Advancing Just Societies (IAJS) and Zócalo Public… read more about Pedro Lasch Asks "How Do We See Ourselves in Each Other?" »
Sonia Green is a graduating senior with majors in African & African American Studies and Visual & Media Studies. She has served as a Trinity Ambassador for African & African American Studies. Trinity Ambassadors are student volunteers, nominated by their departments, to serve in this unique and important role.We asked a few of the ambassadors from the Class of 2025 to share their favorite memories from Duke. The below interview has been slightly edited for clarity. What was one of the most impactful… read more about Notes From the Class of 2025: Reevaluating "Traditional" Academia »
Graduating double major in Physics and Visual Media Studies with a concentration in Cinematic Arts, Nik Narain has been announced as this year’s recipient of the Louis Sudler Prize. Nik Narain has been selected for this award for his distinguished record of excellence in performance and creation in writing for stage/screen and comedy performance. read more about Nik Narain Receives the 2025 Louis Sudler Prize »
Alejandra Gonzalez-Acosta is a graduating senior with a major in Psychology and minors in Visual Arts and Computational Biology. She has served as a Trinity Ambassador for Psychology. Trinity Ambassadors are student volunteers, nominated by their departments, to serve in this unique and important role.We asked a few of the ambassadors from the Class of 2025 to share their favorite memories from Duke. The below interview has been slightly edited for clarity. What was one of the most impactful classes you took… read more about Notes From the Class of 2025: Seize Opportunities and Learn About Yourself »
Zócalo Public Square and Stanford’s Institute for Advancing Just Societies’ “What Can Become of Us?” Series Launches in Asheville with Art Exhibition and Panel EventASHEVILLE, NC—Zócalo Public Square, in collaboration with the Stanford Institute for Advancing Just Societies (IAJS), announces the inaugural event in their series “What Can Become of Us?,” which endeavors to envision new perspectives on migration, America’s diverse communities, and how people come together across… read more about Nationally Recognized Scholars Headline Public Program on Migration, Community-Building, and America »
Each year, Duke University awards Benenson Awards in the Arts, which provide funding for arts-centered projects proposed by undergraduates, including graduating seniors. This year, the Student Arts Award Committee awarded prizes to fifteen students for creative projects spanning film, theater, creative writing, music, dance, and visual art. read more about Announcing the 2025 Benenson Award Winners »
Stephanie M. HohliosAssistant Professor of Art History Flagler CollegeThursday, April 174:00-5:30 pmA266, Bay 10, Smith WarehouseLecture Title: Stratified Modernity: Labor and the Regional Environment in Contemporary Japanese Art This talk emerges out of a chapter to be published in the multi-author volume titled Missing Bodies’ Embodied Histories: Extraordinary Lives of Ordinary Women in Postwar Japan. The chapter examines global-facing arts activism as undertaken by women… read more about Hohlios Visiting Lecture & Professional Develoment Workshop »
“Bringing Beauty into Life, Again: How Soviet Workers Discovered Aesthetics after Stalin”Serguei Alex. OushakineProfessor of Anthropology and Slavic Languages and LiteraturesPrinceton UniversityThursday, April 10, 202512:00-1:30 pm, Smith Warehouse, A101, Bay 12As early as October 1953, seven months after Stalin's death, Izvestia, the second major Soviet newspaper, complained about the color deficiency in Soviet homes, streets, and cities: "Our people are rightly concerned that the… read more about Art History Lecture Series: Serguei Alex. Oushakine »
Alejandra Gonzalez-Acosta is one of 29 students to receive the 2025 Forever Duke Student Leadership Award.Presented annually by Duke Alumni Engagement and Development, the award recognizes graduating students within Duke’s undergraduate, graduate and professional schools for their outstanding leadership and dedication to fostering a strong sense of community at Duke.Gonzalez-Acosta, a Psychology major with minors in Visual Arts and Computational Biology, was nominated by faculty and peers for her leadership in the… read more about Psychology Senior Awarded for Outstanding Leadership »
The Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies (AAHVS) at Duke established the Anti-Racism and Social Justice Initiative in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, amidst the recognition on a national scale that institutions were called upon to respond to increasing social and cultural tensions. The initial goal of the initiative was to confront and dismantle systemic racism within academia and the arts at Duke, reflecting the department’s commitment to fostering inclusivity and justice through concrete actions… read more about 2025 Dean's Award: AAHVS Anti-Racism and Social Justice Initiative »
“Summoning Pearl Harbor”Alexander NemerovCarl and Marilynn Thoma Provostial Professor in the Arts and HumanitiesStanford UniversityMonday, March 245:00 PM, A266, Bay 10, Smith WarehouseHow do words make the past appear? In what way does the historian summon bygone events? What is this kind of remembering, and for whom do we recall the dead? In this meditation on the past, art historian Alexander Nemerov delves into what it means to recall a significant event—Pearl Harbor—and how descriptions of images can summon it back to… read more about Art History Lecture Series: Alexander Nemerov »
Showcasing the work of Duke Visual Arts students, the Student Art Exhibition opened on February 4 with a well-attended reception and runs through February 18 in the Student Creative Space in A112, Bay 12, Smith Warehouse. The exhibition features artwork from students taking Visual Arts classes during Fall 24 semester in such media as painting, video, printmaking, photography, sculpture, graphic arts,… read more about Student Art Exhibition »