Growing a
culture for art at Duke

The arts thrive at Duke. Academic programs, critically acclaimed organizations and visiting artists create connections between campus, the Durham community, and international thinkers, makers, and performers.

The Office of the
Vice-Provost for the Arts

The Vice Provost for the Arts is charged with transforming the arts at Duke. This office works with academic, student and community arts programs to embed art into the mainstream Duke experience.

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32 Arts Degrees, Minors, and Certificates
Duke Arts programs leverage the resources of a top research university
68 Visiting Artists supported in 2018–2019
Hosted by departments across Duke with our support
105 Total arts faculty
52 are practicing professional artists

Vice Provost for the Arts John Brown

Welcome to the Class of 2024!

Vice Provost for the Arts John Brown says "Welcome!" to incoming students, reminding them that while campus will look different this fall, art and artists are an essential part of Duke University.

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Reflecting on Art amidst COVID-19

Documentary Art

A Visual Collection from Early Spring

A new collection documenting our coronavirus spring by the MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts community.

From the Classroom

Teaching as the Art World Changes Forever

Duke dance professor Sarah Wilbur resists easy optimism as she and her students ponder an evolving “COVIDaesthetic” that craves lost proximity, activates technology and virtual sites of performance, and aligns art with public health.

Collaborations

Working Together in Movement and Music

For graduate composition student James Budinich, a recent long-distance collaboration with dancer Gabrielle Lamb has useful lessons for our post-COVID reality.

Artistic Practice

Art’s Radical Capacity for Care and Reciprocity

Nasher Museum-affiliated artist Dario Robleto reflects on his early years as an artist, when social distancing came naturally to him and he nurtured a “precarious balance… between introversion and community.”

Featured Events

Featured
Music in Your Gardens: Joe Troop
July 29, 2020 — 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Featured
Concept to Commercial with ESPN & McKinney
July 30, 2020 — 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Featured
Music in Your Gardens: Kamara Thomas
August 5, 2020 — 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Featured
Music in Your Gardens: Young Bull
August 12, 2020 — 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

more arts events

Upcoming Events View AllEvents

Public programs in the arts from across campus and into Durham.

Dance Majors & Minors Information Meeting
Arts / Zoom Meeting — 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Aug 15
[Online] University Worship: Opening Sunday
Arts / Online — 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Aug 16
[Online] Carillon Livestream
Arts / Online — 5:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Aug 17
Duke Dance Program Open House
Featured / Zoom Meeting — 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Aug 17

News View All

Latest stories in the arts at Duke. Published by Duke Arts and around the web.

Weeks of Welcome Arts Programming
Published by Duke Arts | August 7
Welcome to the Class of 2024
Published by Duke Arts | August 7
Small Town Records: Keeping the Music Going During COVID-19
August 7
Q&A with Ishan Thakore ’15, Associate Producer
August 1

People of Duke Arts

Meet the people behind the arts at Duke and discover their inspirations, tips for finding community on campus, and more.

Thandolwethu Mamba posing with a portrait of Guiseppe Verdi — Hard work, love of music, and generous mentors have taken 2020 Louis Sudler Prize winner Thandolwethu Mamba from a township in southern Africa to the opera stage at Duke and beyond. Click to read more.

Alanna Styer explores midwest culture in her MFAEDA thesis exhibition 'A Prairie, Not A Promise'—click to read more (photo by Sam Angel).

Michael Betts II designed an immersive, interactive experience that invites visitors to be anti-racist. He's also the new director of CDS Courses. Click to read more.

As a double-major in neuroscience and visual arts, Sujal Manohar learned that the two fields are not as far apart as one might think. Click to read more.

Film still from Lauren Henschel — The theme of MFAEDA student Lauren Henschel's thesis exhibition—how our bodies fail us—was so timely no one could visit it. Click to read more.

Two men leading a discussion from stage — Duke business analyst Ira Knight presented the premier of his one-man play 'From Myth To Man: Martin Luther King, An Interpretation.' Click to read more.

Only In
Durham

The creative community in the Triangle runs deep and shares an entrepreneurial spirit—helping to make Duke and Durham incredible places to study and experience the arts.

arts in Durham