In the News

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May/June 2026
 
Computational Media, Arts & Cultures graduate student Hugo Idarraga Franco presented his talk, titled “From Objects to Subjects: Rethinking Machine Vision through Perspectivism” as part of a SPARKS (Short Presentations of Artworks & Research for the Kindred Spirit) session on animism on May 29. Other speakers included DKU collaborator and friend, Vivian Xu.
 
We are very proud of the student work that came out of the Duke Bass Connections class run by Brinnae Bent (Trust Lab; Dept/School: Artificial Intelligence/Pratt School of Engineering, Duke) and Professor of Art, Art History and Visual Studies, Bill Seaman entitled  - Historical Shifts and Geographical Drifts: Using AI Embeddings to Explore Human Ideas Across Time and Space. The work culminated in two different Science/Art Installations which can be viewed in this video documentation: https://youtu.be/lnxlCOY_Jvc
 
Emily Mohr (PhD, '26) has recently been awarded a postdoctoral fellowship through the Harvard University Loeb Classical Library Foundation. Congratulations, Emily!
 
Evillyn Biazatti de Araujo (Graduate Student, Art History PhD Program) has received a research fellowship from the Rockefeller Archive Foundation. Biazatti de Araujo will use the award for travel to the archive to conduct research on her dissertation concerning health architecture and politics during the Vargas era (1930-1946) in Brazil.
 
This Fall, Dana Hogan (PhD '24) will be starting a tenure-track position at Middlebury College as Assistant Professor of History of Art & Architecture. This appointment is supported by the midd.data program with a focus on the Renaissance Mediterranean and Digital Humanities.
 
Pedro Lasch, Research Professor of Art, Art History and Visual Studies, was recently interviewed in the Spanish-language business and economic newspaper, Expansión, on his traveling exhibition, Black Mirror. An English translation of the article can be read with this LINK.
 
Art History major Sam Stayn (rising Junior) has been selected for the House Course Excellence in Teaching Award for his Spring 2026 course, “Thinking Like an Architect: Introduction to Architectural Analysis.” Congratulations, Sam!
 
On May 10, the Department hosted its annual Commencement Ceremony and Graduation Reception. The Art, Art History & Visual Studies Class of 2026 included 7 graduate and undergraduate certificate recipients, 23 undergraduate degree recipients, 2 Master of Arts (M.A.) graduates, and 5 Ph.D. graduates. Congratulations!

 

Visual Arts Helping to Create a More Empathetic and Insightful Engineer

Annika Allado is a Mechanical Engineering major who is also pursuing a minor in Visual Arts with the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies (AAHVS).An international student from the Philippines, she came to Duke with the goal of focusing on the intersection of art and engineering, and she gained a taste of the design process as a first-year student in Engineering Design and Technical Communication (EGR101).In the introductory course, Allado was part of a team tasked with building a portable handwashing station… read more about Visual Arts Helping to Create a More Empathetic and Insightful Engineer »

Warm Up With Winter Books From Duke Authors

Long winter nights make for good reads. Duke publications from the fall and winter include attractions for readers of many interests.  For history buffs, there's new history of the American West and a timely assessment of economic sanctions. For politicos, there's a blueprint for protecting democracy and a study of the contributions of migrants to various cultures. Movie fans can read about the history of Asians in theater and cinema and a surprising look at the politics of Marvel movies. Many of the books,… read more about Warm Up With Winter Books From Duke Authors »

3 Faculty Job Searches

The Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University invites candidates to apply for the following faculty positions: assistant professor of the practice in Geospatial Digital Art History, assistant professor of the practice in Cinematic Arts, and a tenure-track faculty position in Modern Art History at the assistant professor level. Detailed descriptions of each position, required application materials, application process, and deadlines can be found via the following links: Assistant… read more about 3 Faculty Job Searches »

Lyla Halsted Is Opening Eyes to Medieval Islamic Art and Architecture

“My freshman year at Davidson College I was mistakenly placed in an Islamic art class,” Lyla Halsted confesses. She wanted to be a classics major, but Halsted, whose mother is Iranian, found a familiarity with the language and culture covered in her accidental class. She stayed with it and eventually earned her B.A. in art history. Following an M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, the North Carolinian has returned home to teach at Duke… read more about Lyla Halsted Is Opening Eyes to Medieval Islamic Art and Architecture »

Dore Bowen: Studying Immersive Experiences as Art

Dore Bowen comes from a family firmly rooted in science. Her father was a radiologist, and Bowen remembers how excited and intrigued he’d become with each technological breakthrough. Bowen has inherited that love of science and technology, but in her own interdisciplinary way. A research professor with the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies (AAHVS), Bowen began her art studies analyzing photography and conceptual art during the experimental Fluxus movement. Coined by its “founder” George Maciunas,… read more about Dore Bowen: Studying Immersive Experiences as Art »

Cultural Anthropology Students Learn From a Buried Past

Few college students would volunteer to spend a Sunday afternoon in a graveyard, but members of the Fieldwork Methods class in the Department of Cultural Anthropology arranged this trip themselves. They are in Wilmington, North Carolina, visiting the sites of one of the darkest events in the state’s history: the white supremacist coup that destroyed the city’s prosperous Black community in 1898. Their class is part of America’s Hallowed Ground, a multi-year project developed by professor Charlie Thompson and actor and… read more about Cultural Anthropology Students Learn From a Buried Past »

Digital Exhibit Reveals Buried Roman-Era Secrets Uncovered By Duke Archeologists

This summer, a museum in Italy is displaying the results of a six-year archaeological excavation conducted by more than 20 Duke faculty and students. The exhibit, which opened recently at the Museo delle Antichita Etrusche e Italiche at Sapienza University in Rome, displays findings from Vulci, an Etruscan and Roman archaeological site in Viterbo, Italy. The summer project, a partnership with Sapienza University researchers, leans heavily on virtual reality and digital tools, and the exhibition includes interactive… read more about Digital Exhibit Reveals Buried Roman-Era Secrets Uncovered By Duke Archeologists »

Experiencing New York's Arts Culture for Credit

Raucous drag shows, dazzling Broadway performances, a smorgasbord of food: Duke in New York: Arts, Culture and Performance isn’t just a study away program, it’s a feast for the senses. Falling in love with the city is a familiar American story, and New York didn’t hold back on the charm for these program alumni. “My favorite part of the city overall is how creatively rich it is with opportunities (especially in fashion) at every corner,” said Sydney Reede, a sophomore who participated last semester. Hoping to work in… read more about Experiencing New York's Arts Culture for Credit »

Art, Art History & Visual Studies Antiracism Initiative

Works by AAH&VS Visual Arts faculty anti-racism.duke.edu Guiding Statement: Structural racism, the product of centering whiteness, is present in all aspects of the academy, and as members of this intellectual and professional community we have a responsibility to take antiracist actions to dismantle it. One key area where we can enact change is in our teaching. Today in this Forum we will move towards antiracist pedagogy in our department. Spring 2022… read more about Art, Art History & Visual Studies Antiracism Initiative »

New Faculty Publication

The Architecture of Ideas: The Life and Work of Ranulph Glanville, Cybernetician Bill Seaman Professor Bill Seaman’s new book, The Architecture of Ideas: The Life and Work of Ranulph Glanville, Cybernetician, was recently published by Imprint Academic. The Architecture of Ideas includes a text by Bill Seaman, the editor of this collection, called “Composing Composing,” which explores a number of Glanville’s texts in a pointed fashion. Late in his life Ranulph began to use the poetic term… read more about New Faculty Publication »

Hans J. Van Miegroet Leads International Collaboration to Research More Inclusive, Bias Free and Data-Driven Art History

Interview with Hans J.  Van Miegroet, Professor Art & Markets within the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University Hans J.  Van Miegroet is Professor Art & Markets within the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University.  He is also a founder of the Duke Art, Law and Markets Initiative (DALMI), which is a consortium engaged in advanced research on art and markets from a new and previously unexplored interdisciplinary perspective - the… read more about Hans J. Van Miegroet Leads International Collaboration to Research More Inclusive, Bias Free and Data-Driven Art History »