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.

Pictured above: Spring 2022 artist-in-residence Mario Moore at work in a painting studio in the Rubenstein Arts Center. Photo by Robert Zimmerman.

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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34 Arts Degrees, Minors, and Certificates
Undergraduate and graduate programs leverage the resources of a top research university
31 Visiting Artists supported in 2019–2020
Hosted by departments across Duke with our support
98 Total arts faculty
Lead our culture of creative innovation

Artists as Researchers

Music

Disrupting Classical Composition

PhD student Brittany J. Green's latest orchestral work, “Against/Sharp,” explores the relationship between music and Black feminist theory.

Visual Arts

Tackling Climate Change Through Storytelling

A Bass Connections team created a woven piece made with recycled and reused materials, depicting an interpretation of a graph predicting future scenarios of sea level rise.

Dance

Dancing Through STEAM

Three Duke alumnae share how they split their time at Duke between rigorous science courses and a steadfast passion for dance.

Visual Arts

At the Intersection of Art and Science

Clay Sanders, who received a PhD in civil engineering from Duke in 2020, currently has a painting depicting a dance rehearsal on display in the Rubenstein Arts Center.

Upcoming Events

Visual and Creative Arts
Raíces, Rutas, y Ritmos: The Influence of Latin American Music in North Carolina
July 1, 2022 — 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Arts
Music in the Gardens: Sarah Shook & the Disarmers
July 6, 2022 — 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Featured
Ciompi Presents: Special Affects
July 7, 2022 — 7:00 PM – 7:00 PM

more arts events

News View All

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

Q&A with Max Brzezinski Ph.D. ’07, Author & Former Marketing Director, Carolina Soul Records

Published: April 24, 2022

Announcing the 2022 Benenson Award Winners

Published: April 23, 2022

Lee Edwards, MFA in Dance ’22: Cyclical Navigations: In the In Between

Published: April 22, 2022

Amari Jones, MFA in Dance ’22: Embodied Resonance

Published: April 22, 2022

People of Duke Arts

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

Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Chris Pattishall returned to Durham, his hometown, as part of a yearlong residency with Duke Performances. Click to read more.

Artist-in-residence Bijayini Sapathy led a community dance workshop ahead of the premiere of her new work “ABHIPSAA – a seeking,” co-commissioned by Duke Performances. Click to read more.

Stephen Hayes, instructor of art, art history & visual studies, works with students in the Rubenstein Arts Center. Click to read more.

Duke seniors María Zurita Ontiveros and Ash Jeffers are the creative team behind *Medea*, the first mainstage Theater Studies has produced with students at its helm. 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