As a young Duke art history professor in 1979, Caroline Bruzelius convinced officials at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to let her climb scaffolding during a renovation to get a close look at the architecture.It was, she thought, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She’d return many times over the next seven years until the work was completed in 1986.Decades passed – her work on Paris Cathedral was published in 1987, and she moved on to other projects. Then in 2019, Notre Dame suffered a devastating fire. The cathedral… read more about At Notre Dame Cathedral, a Hidden History Revealed »
Professor of the practice Beverly McIver’s solo exhibition, Beverly McIver: Entangled, opened at the Berry Campbell Gallery in New York on October 17 and ran through November 16, 2024. This is McIver’s first exhibition there since the gallery began representing her last year. Entangled is comprised of eighteen recent paintings created in the artist’s North Carolina studio with subjects ranging from reflective self-portraits that capture her… read more about Beverly McIver: Entangled »
Physics major Nik Narain has been obsessed with the brain since elementary school. “I’d spend most of my time either reading, researching, watching or creating videos about the brain,” he confesses. As a first-year student at Duke, Narain couldn’t decide which career to pursue: scientist or physician. He resolved the issue by taking the class he wanted in his rearview mirror the fastest: Fundamentals of Physics. That course changed his entire trajectory, and while Narain acknowledges that subjects like… read more about Mind, Matter & Visual Media »
An election year brings the return of a distinctive course merging media-making with the study of women in politics. In GSF 225S, Women and the Political Process, students get a hands-on approach to understanding how gender and politics interact, all while equipping them with skills in media production. Taught by Lauren Henschel and Rachel Gelfand, both instructors of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, and offered every two years, the course is especially relevant during election cycles, when… read more about Gender, Politics and the Magic of Media, All in a Single Classroom »
Screen/Society--Man on a Ledge – Filmmaking above the Cinematic Abyss | Public Talk by Guy MaddinNovember 7, 7:00pmSpeaker(s): Guy Maddin Director Guy Maddin presents a talk on the topic of centennials. Event Link and Full Description read more about Filmmaking above the Cinematic Abyss | Nov. 7 Public Talk by Guy Maddin »
Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Media/Photo Art HistoryThe Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University invites candidates to apply for a tenure-track faculty position in Media/Photo History at the assistant professor level. Exceptional doctoral candidates whose requirements for the Ph.D. will be completed before the appointment officially begins will also be considered.https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/28503 Associate Professor of Early Modern Europe/… read more about Open Art History Faculty Positions »
Jenny Lion’s life has been a study in peeking behind the curtain. The new assistant professor of the practice of Art, Art History & Visual Studies was trained as a professional dancer but found her passion in moving image. She soon found those moving images could be a canvas on which to explore complex societal issues. Her work in film and video is deeply connected to activism, often incorporating cinematic, participatory and experimental techniques.Rather than seeing the dancer and activist as opposites, Lion… read more about Jenny Lion Peeks Behind the Curtains of American Landscapes »
Angelina Lucento’s admiration for post-Soviet spaces can be traced back to the 1992 summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. The assistant professor in the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies cut her teeth in the world of women’s competitive gymnastics at a time when the newly dissolved USSR had reconfigured into the Unified Team — and continued to dominate the sport. Lucento’s specialty was the uneven bars, where the teenager utilized her physical strength to execute bold transitions navigating from bar to… read more about Angelina Lucento & Post-Soviet Spaces »
“I spent most of my time preening feathers with tweezers and Q-tips,” recalls Andrew Griebeler, assistant professor in the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies (AAHVS).As an undergraduate at the University of Puget Sound, he worked with the Wing & Tail Image Collection at the Puget Sound Museum of Natural History before graduating with degrees in Biology and Art History. Griebeler has always been captivated with the natural world — thanks to his mother, a biology teacher, who often took the family birding.… read more about Andrew Griebeler Is Deeply Rooted in Medieval Art and the Natural World »
This September, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University premiered Processing Systems: Numbers by Sherrill Roland, featuring new works of art and research materials by artist Sherrill Roland from his ongoing exploration of the criminal justice system and inspired by the cases of people wrongfully convicted in North Carolina. Roland’s interdisciplinary practice deals with concepts of innocence, identity, and community, reimagining their social and political implications in the context of the… read more about New Body of Work by Sherrill Roland to Debut at Nasher Museum »
Kristine Stiles contributed an essay titled “Switching Off” on the infamous Australian artist Mike Parr, best known for his dangerous performances and his drawings, printmaking, and paintings. Stiles begins by quoting Parr: “I enjoy being someone that I’m not.” She responds: “Who is the someone that you are not?” Parr answers that in drawing “language ceases” and he “switches off.” Stiles identifies this “dissociated state…as a critical coping and survival mechanism for enduring the psychic, physical pain and trauma” that… read more about Kristine Stiles on Mike Parr »
“I’ve always loved the arts,” Alejandra Gonzalez-Acosta confesses. The senior dabbled in a bit of everything growing up, from singing and dancing to acting and drawing, but decided to take her passion a bit more seriously in high school — and did she ever. With seven theater productions and seven semesters of art classes under her belt, Gonzalez-Acosta wanted to bring those interests with her to Duke. The Psychology major feels she’s achieved the goal twofold through a Visual Arts minor and her involvement with… read more about Canvas of Care: Visual Arts Enhancing Healthcare »
Kristine Stiles has contributed one of the two major essays for the volume,Tomas Schmit: Werke, Texte, Dokumente/Works, Texts, Documents 1962-1970, just published in Berlin by n.b.k. along with an essay coauthored by the Romanian-born curator Marius Babias and the Hungarian curator Krisztina Hunya, Project Manager, for the 19th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art. This 566-page book is the first major publication on Schmit, a renowned German artist, who created over two… read more about Kristine Stiles on Tomas Schmit »
Studio Manager PositionArt, Art History and Visual StudiesOpen to Qualified Applicants The Studio Manager coordinates and participates in the overall operation of the instructional facilities for studio arts, including safety, stocking, training, equipment maintenance, and supervision. Facilities include but are not limited to: Sculpture Studio (primary area of support), Printmaking Studio, and the Painting and Drawing Studio. https://careers.duke.edu/… read more about Studio Manager Position »
When Victoria Szabo began working in the digital humanities in the 1990s, the Internet was just emerging, and inaccessible information was suddenly accessible. Rare texts and images that were seen primarily in libraries are now widely available. That prompted scholars to learn digital skills such as coding and programming. Duke’s arts and humanities faculty members harnessed this momentum in a variety of ways, launching a series of digital, long-term arts and history projects. Szabo, a research professor in the… read more about Digital Humanities on the Rise »
Slow Shift, a 2023 short film by associate professor of the practice Shambhavi Kaul, has won the International Jury Prize at the 60th edition of the Pesaro International Film Festival. The jury, made up of internationally renowned personalities—Luís Miñarro, Júlio Bressane, and Myriam Mézières—stated that Kaul’s film “bears witness to the architecture of the time, of the wind and of the world before and after men.” The film “reflects on the intersections between myth and… read more about Shambhavi Kaul’s Slow Shift wins Jury Prize at Pesaro International Film Festival »
In November 2023, Mexico's Ministry of Culture and the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature opened “Pedro Lasch: Entre líneas / Between the Lines” at Mexico City’s Laboratorio Arte Alameda. The exhibit is a significant event for Lasch — a research professor of Art, Art History & Visual Studies — and the first retrospective of his career. Lasch has been teaching at Duke since 2002 and a practicing artist for over 30 years, producing both studio art and immersive community projects. “Entre líneas / Between the… read more about With His First Career Retrospective, Pedro Lasch Is Learning to Play Again »
A Duke alumna and a graduating senior have been awarded the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship for graduate study at Stanford University. Linda Zhang, class of 2020, and Duke University senior Daniel Collins, class of 2024, have each received up to three years of financial support at Stanford University. Zhang and Collins are members of the seventh Knight-Hennessy cohort and are among the 12 Duke students who have received the scholarship since the program welcomed its first class in 2018. Linda Zhang, from Tianjin, China, is… read more about Duke Senior, Alumna Receive Knight-Hennessy Scholarship »
Spring’s crop of books from Duke authors includes a history of grievance in the United States, an up-close look at the camaraderie at Durham Bulls games, and a guide on understanding sex and gender. Below is a roundup of some of the most recent and upcoming published titles. Many of the books, including new editions of previous titles, can be found on the “Duke Authors” display shelves near the circulation desk in Perkins Library. Some are available as e-books for quick download. Most can also be purchased through the… read more about Spring Books in Duke Authors: Meditations, Baseball, Rebels and Stomach Pains »
Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies Alumni Centennial Symposium 100 Years of History, Practice, and Theory: Celebrating Art, Art History, and Visual Studies at Duke University Friday, April 12, 2024 2:00 – 6:00 PM Room A266, Bay 10, Smith Warehouse This symposium seeks to present a critical discussion by some of our alumni about art and… read more about AAHVS Alumni Centennial Symposium »
BALTIMORE --- The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum is the first African American history wax museum in the nation. It is a historical treasure right here in Baltimore. It's a place where the stories of African Americans across the world come to life. From Ancient Africa to slavery, the Civil Rights era and everything in between. Today and yesterday's history are all in one place. Recently, they've added a new exhibit, by renowned creator, artist and professor Stephen Hayes. His work… read more about Work by Duke Sculpture Professor at Baltimore African American History Wax Museum »