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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 »
Gonzalez-Acosta at the 2023 American Medical Education Conference. (Photo courtesy of Gonzalez-Acosta) “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… 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 »
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 »
Hans J. Van Miegroet Professor of Art, Art History & Visual Studies 1953-2024 The Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies mourns the sudden loss of our extraordinary colleague, Prof. Hans J. Van Miegroet. He was a powerful force in our program, leading the charge for the introduction of digital methods into art historical and visual analysis. A memorial service to commemorate Hans' life and impact will take place Saturday, March 30 at 1 p.m. in the Nasher Museum of Art Auditorium. A reception will… read more about Hans J. Van Miegroet, 1953—2024 »
Duke professor Hans Van Miegroet’s office in Smith Warehouse was seldom empty and rarely quiet. Van Miegroet considered it a gathering place. “He shared his space with his lab and encouraged students to collaborate there,” said Paul Jaskot, chair of Duke’s department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies (AAHVS). “They might be just doing email or engaged in their own research, but passing the door, you also saw the frequent conversations and dynamic interaction happening across the room.” Van Miegroet, a pioneering… read more about Art History Professor Hans Van Miegroet Dies »
What inspired an Economics and Mathematics dual major to also pursue a seemingly disparate minor in Cinematic Arts? For Parinay Gupta, it was his Writing 101 course: Gender and Sexuality in Latin American Films.“Delving into the analysis of gender representation in Latin American cinema, I became increasingly intrigued by the creative processes that transpired behind the camera and shaped the narratives presented on screen,” he explains.He took an acting course in Theater Studies in the spring and followed with a summer… read more about When Cinematic Arts Brings Economics into Focus »
Athena Yao has been interested in neuroscience from the moment she picked up a book in her high school library addressing the science of stress and motivation.“I was trying to figure out the source of my own stress and how I could develop a better sense of control over my life,” she shares. “It was fascinating to learn about the biological basis of emotion and behavior.”After witnessing the impacts Alzheimer’s had on her grandfather and family, the Neuroscience major, who is also minoring in Computer Science and Visual… read more about Science + Technology + Design = Innovations at Duke »
The Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies’ Year in Review is a compilation of the e-newsletters (NewsByte) sent out during the previous academic year detailing the Department’s activities and achievements. NewsByte was mined, collated, and re-edited to form a comprehensive review of the past year in the life of the Department. It was also re-designed as its own publication and is made available now as a downloadable PDF from the Department’s website. John Taormina Editor Jack… read more about 2022-23 Year in Review »
from: Turning Passions into Prose: Duke Colleagues Pen Books Duke Today, October 30, 2023 A Lifetime of Art Duke Art, Art History and Visual Studies' Bill Seaman. While, Bill Seaman, Professor of Art, Art History and Visual Studies, and Computational Media, Arts and Cultures, has published books on pioneering design theorists and the future of AI in recent years, the retrospective of his own art in “Selections from the Archive,” which was published in the summer of… read more about Bill Seaman Featured Among Duke Colleagues "Turning Passions into Prose" »