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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!

 

How Do You Teach Art & Collaborate Remotely?

Duke faculty teaching visual arts, music, and theater share how they navigated the move to online teaching. It wasn’t easy. Supplies were mailed, collaborative projects were reinvented. Transformations and solutions discovered this spring have expanded the teaching repertoire—even as we look forward to safely returning to studio and stage. Sending the Art Studio Home to Students To really see a painting, print, or drawing is to notice its details—the quality of a particular brushstroke, the subtle distinctions in hue, the… read more about How Do You Teach Art & Collaborate Remotely? »

Caroline Bruzelius Elected to the American Philosophical Society

Caroline A. Bruzelius, Anne Murnick Cogan Professor Emerita of Art and Art History, has been elected a Member of the prestigious American Philosophical Society. Thirty-four Members were elected this year, including others in the humanities such as Elizabeth Alexander, President, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Marin Alsop, Music Director, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: Lonnie Bunch III, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution; Carla Hayden, Librarian, Library of Congress; David W. Oxtoby, President, American Academy of Arts and… read more about Caroline Bruzelius Elected to the American Philosophical Society »

2020 Graduation With Distinction

The Department is pleased to announce that twelve graduating seniors earned Graduation with Distinction honors in AAHVS this spring, for the following projects: Paulina Asturias (Visual Arts)Bridging The Gap Between Latin American Communities Faculty Advisor: Raquel Salvatella de PradaCharles Berman (Visual & Media Studies)Smooth, Mindless Materialism: Visual Representations of Wealth in Urban America Faculty Advisor: Kristine StilesJessica Chen… read more about 2020 Graduation With Distinction »

Spring 2020 Exhibition

The Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies presents the 2020 End-of-Year Online Exhibtion: — featuring projects from the following classes: ARTSVIS/AMI Capstone Digital Imaging Drawing (coming soon) Gothic Cathedrals Graphic Design in Multimedia Introduction to Digital Photography Motion Graphics for Film and Video Moving Image Practice 3D Modeling & Animation Spring 2020 Exhibition read more about Spring 2020 Exhibition »

Student Honors and Laurels for 2020

Congratulations to the following student award winners from Duke University units in 2020. African & African American Studies  John Hope Franklin Award for Academic Excellence: Elizabeth DuBard GrantlandKarla FC Holloway Award for University Service: Beza GebremariamMary McLeod Bethune Writing Award: Jenna ClaybornWalter C. Burford Award for Community Service: Kayla Lynn Corredera-Wells Art, Art History & Visual Studies … read more about Student Honors and Laurels for 2020 »

2020 Annual Undergraduate Awards

Congratulations to the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies 2020 Annual Undergraduate Award winners: THE MARY DUKE BIDDLE FOUNDATION VISUAL ART AWARD Presented annually to recognize an outstanding graduating senior in the Visual Arts, as determined by the Art and Art History faculty.  This award is endowed by the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation. Kyle Harvey  THE NANCY KANEB ART HISTORY AWARD Presented annually to recognize an outstanding graduating… read more about 2020 Annual Undergraduate Awards »

Visual Arts/AMI Capstone Online Exhibition

Opening – Thursday April 23, 2020    Capstone Show | Hows Cast Open Explore the creativity of our Senior Capstone students in this online exhibition of work. *click to view the full-size poster* Paulina AsturiasBridging the Gap Between Latin American Communitieshttps://www.bridgingthegap.paulinaasturias.com Kyle HarveyFlowers of the Biblehttps://kph18.github.io/kharveyart/ Kala JuettAvenuehttps://sites.… read more about Visual Arts/AMI Capstone Online Exhibition »

Find Your Arts at Duke

The arts are a meaningful part of your Duke experience, no matter what major you choose. At Duke, there are 32 different arts degrees, minors, and certificates and more than 100 student arts groups. Hear from students and artists about how you can forge your own pathway in the arts at Duke, and explore arts.duke.edu to discover courses, communities, and experiences. This video was produced by The Chronicle's Pitch Story Lab, a student creative agency. Production Team: Brendan Quinlan '20, Quinten Sansosti '20, Andy Ju '21,… read more about Find Your Arts at Duke »

Where Civil War Soldiers Will March Again

In November, a memorial which is being created by Instructor of Art, Art History & Visual Studies Stephen Hayes honoring African-American soldiers who fought in North Carolina for the Union will be unveiled. The sculpture will celebrate the black soldiers who carried out the initial attack and suffered the brunt of the casualties. ~ read the complete article at:  New York Times read more about Where Civil War Soldiers Will March Again »

Cinematic Arts: A New Concentration and Minor Bring Film at Duke into Focus

When Clarence Hammond enrolled at Duke in the fall of 2005, he thought he wanted to be a lawyer. He was an overachiever, too, so in his first semester he took six classes, almost all of which were in political science. By winter break, he knew something wasn’t right. “I felt like the deeper I got down this pre-law/political science path, I wasn’t quite in love with it the way I hoped,” he said. “The courses were great, but it wasn’t really sparking that passion that I had as a kid.” Since he got ahead in that first semester… read more about Cinematic Arts: A New Concentration and Minor Bring Film at Duke into Focus »

McWilliam to lead Graduate Education for Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In an effort to advance graduate education across Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, Neil McWilliam, the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, will serve as the college’s first Graduate Dean, effective July 1, 2020. “Graduate students are an invaluable part of all we do at Duke, as they pursue groundbreaking research and advance scholarship but also shape and influence undergraduate teaching, co-curricular offerings, and campus culture,” said Dean Valerie Ashby in an announcement about… read more about McWilliam to lead Graduate Education for Trinity College of Arts & Sciences »

Building Sandcastles with History: Recreating the Vision of Pre-Modern Mapmakers

It’s no surprise that pre-modern maps look a lot different than modern ones. Cartographers and surveyors of the past didn’t draw perfectly to scale. Their works included inconsistent heights, strange topographies, and even non-linear perspectives. Often, those oddities are considered mistakes—errors resulting from inadequate technology than we can correct with new tools like GIS mapping software. But two Duke scholars are taking the opposite approach, asking what could we learn about the medieval and early modern world if… read more about Building Sandcastles with History: Recreating the Vision of Pre-Modern Mapmakers »

Curating a New Portrait of Black America

It’s been over three years since the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) opened in D.C. in September 2016, but the excitement around it doesn’t seem to have dimmed much. Chances are, you’re going to have to get your tickets three months in advance if you want to visit. Infants need their own timed pass, too. On Friday, January 17, Duke’s From Slavery to Freedom Lab hosted a panel in conjunction with the Franklin Humanities Institute on the topic of contemporary Black arts and icons. The panel… read more about Curating a New Portrait of Black America »

Duke Wired! Lab Celebrates 10 Years

Visitors stepping into Perkins Library are transported in time to Venice during the 18th century. Using a large interactive screen and projection, the “Senses of Venice” exhibit allows guests to follow four real-life characters through a 1729 map of Venice. Kristin Huffman, Lecturing Fellow in the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, and her team of undergraduate students created the exhibit by conducting research over two years and translating this content into digital stories, stitching together the map in… read more about Duke Wired! Lab Celebrates 10 Years »

Senses of Venice Exhibit

Undergraduate research and digital humanities storytelling at center of new library exhibit: "The only thing missing from a new digital humanities exhibit in the entrance of Perkins Library about the glories of Venice is the present-day sight and smell of the canals that carry people throughout this remarkable floating city. Otherwise, the exhibit produced by four Duke undergraduate students working with Professor Kristin Huffman and an international team of digital storytellers immerses visitors so they can experience the… read more about Senses of Venice Exhibit »

Senses of Venice: Lavish Parties, Great Conversations and Lots of Canals

The only thing missing from a new digital humanities exhibit in the entrance of Perkins Library about the glories of Venice is the present-day sight and smell of the canals that carry people throughout this remarkable floating city. Otherwise, the exhibit produced by four Duke undergraduate students working with Professor Kristin Huffman and an international team of digital storytellers immerses visitors so they can experience the city as European visitors did in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. In doing so, the exhibit… read more about Senses of Venice: Lavish Parties, Great Conversations and Lots of Canals »

2019 End-of-Year Student Exhibition

April 25-May 12, 2019 The 2019 End-of-Year Student Exhibition has three venues this year: Smith Warehouse (Bays 9-12), the Rubenstein Arts Center (Agora Gallery and 2nd Floor Gallery), and Cucciola Osteria restaurant (601 W. Main Street, Suite C, Durham). The exhibition presents works by 120 students from the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, the Program in the Arts of the Moving Image (AMI), and the Program in Information Science + Studies (ISS). read more about 2019 End-of-Year Student Exhibition »

Kathryn Desplanque (Ph.D. '17)

Auguste Raffet, Gâres les Albums, 1828 Kathryn Desplanque (Ph.D. '17) published a chapter entitled "A Physiology of the Inglorious Artist in early 19th-century Paris" in The Mediatization of the Artist, edited by Rachel Esner and Sandra Kisters, 2018.   In June 2019, she will conclude her Carolina Post-Doctoral Fellowship for Faculty Diversity at UNC Chapel Hill. In July 2019, Desplanque will begin a Banting Post-Doctoral Fellowship hosted in the Art History department at Carleton… read more about Kathryn Desplanque (Ph.D. '17) »

Wired! Lab at CAA

Wired! Lab faculty and staff presented the session, “Advanced Topics in Digital Art History: 3D GeoSpatial Networks” at the College Art Association annual meeting in New York in February. Organized by associate research professor Victoria Szabo, who also spoke in the session, other speakers from the Wired! Lab included Hannah Jacobs, digital humanities specialist; Mark Olson, assistant professor of the practice; and Ed Triplett, instructor. Paul Jaskot, professor and director of the Wired! Lab, was a respondent. In summer… read more about Wired! Lab at CAA »

Weisenfeld Reappointed Dean of Humanities

Professor Gennifer Weisenfeld has been reappointed Dean of Humanities for Trinity College of Arts & Sciences for a second, three-year term. A professor of art history and visual studies, Weisenfeld joined Duke’s faculty in 1998. She served two years on the Advisory Committee for Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure, and six years as the director of graduate studies for the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies prior to her tenure as dean. Her scholarship focuses on modern and contemporary Japanese art… read more about Weisenfeld Reappointed Dean of Humanities »

Van Gogh Fellow

Neil McWilliam will be the Van Gogh Museum Visiting Fellow in the History of 19th Century Art at the Van Gogh Museum and the University of Amsterdam in June 2019. He will be leading a seminar on Tradition and Identity: The Nation in 19th-Century Art. The aim of the Van Gogh Fellow’s seminar is to provide MA students with the opportunity to study a single yet wide-ranging subject in nineteenth-century art through an intensive one-week workshop taught by a leading scholar in the field and supported by the Van Gogh Museum. The… read more about Van Gogh Fellow »

McWilliam to Serve as Interim Dean of Humanities 2019-20

Neil McWilliam, the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Art and Art History, will serve as the interim Dean of Humanities for 2019-20 while Dean of Humanities Gennifer Weisenfeld is on leave. McWilliam served as interim chair for AAHVS during 2017-2018 and was the director of undergraduate studies for three years prior. His research focuses on the visual culture of 19th- and early 20th-century France, and particularly on public sculpture, the Academy, art criticism, and the interrelationship between aesthetics and… read more about McWilliam to Serve as Interim Dean of Humanities 2019-20 »

Souls of Mine

Beverly McIver, Esbenshade Professor of the Practice, had a solo exhibition of paintings, “Souls of Mine: New Works by Beverly McIver, at C. Grimaldis Gallery in Baltimore. The show ran from February 28-April 6, 2019. Of McIver’ work, art critic and art historian Irving Sandler noted: “McIver has made the expressionist tradition her own by funneling her life with urgency, painting autobiographical images in an authentic and distinctive style that are at once psychological and social.” read more about Souls of Mine »

Visual Resources Journal

Two faculty members published articles in a special themed issue of Visual Resources 34 (2019) on digital art history: Sequence of changes to the west façade of the Cathedral of Sant’Andrea at Amalfi. Left: Martinus Rorbye, 1835, from M. Ricciardi, La Costa d’Amalfi nella pittura dell’Ottocento (Salerno, 1998), plate 358; center: Robert Wimmer, 1851, Berlin, Kunstbibliothek, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin; right: Karl August Wrede, 1859, Hannover, Niedersächsische Landesmuseum, Hannover. Caroline Bruzelius, Anne… read more about Visual Resources Journal »

Visualizing Krakow Under Nazi Occupation

Professor Paul Jaskot presented “Visualizing Krakow under Nazi Occupation: Exploring Digital and Analog Methods to Analyze the Built Environment” on February 7, 2019 at Columbia University, sponsored by the Society of Fellows in the Humanities. Krakow became a key location within the National Socialist plan for military expansion and the implementation of genocide in Eastern Europe during World War II. Here Hans Frank and the General Government he led developed their policies of oppression and occupation by establishing a… read more about Visualizing Krakow Under Nazi Occupation »

Global Fascism

Villa in Asmara Professor Paul Jaskot and Mark Antliff, Anne Murnick Cogan Professor of Art and Art History, co-organized the session, Global Fascism, at the annual meeting of the College Art Association in February. The study of fascism in art history has its roots in the (originally marginalized) interest of leftist art historians of the 1960s and 1970s in the topic of art in Italy and German under fascist regimes. Since then, while not exactly mainstream, the relationship of art to fascist politics and ideology has… read more about Global Fascism »