Duke Arts Presents 2026–27 Season
Explore our world across cultures, histories, and the natural world with this year’s theme, “Our Common Home.”
Each weekday at 5:00 p.m., a Duke Chapel carillonneur plays a fifteen-minute recital on the bells in the Duke Chapel tower. The recital begins with an opening excerpt of music, …
Encounter three rare historic prints of the Declaration of Independence—including an official 1823 Stone Declaration—at the Durham County Main Library and the Nasher Museum of Art. Presented as part of “We the People,” the exhibition invites reflection on the nation’s founding ideals and their continuing relevance today.
Join us for our biannual Contra Dance! This community event wholeheartedly welcomes community members, students, staff, faculty, friends, fellow farmers, travelers passing through…. Guided by Eileen Thorsos, a long-time contra …
Throughout the academic year 2026-2027 and in honor of Trinity Humanities & Arts “Belonging?” and Duke’s We the People: Project 250, the Department of Religious Studies will be addressing the …
In this hands-on workshop, participants will use their phones and simple materials-including paper, charcoal, plexiglass, and collage-to create a short stop-motion animation. The session includes a live demonstration, group filmmaking, …
Use running stitches to create accents and all over design to embellish your clothing and textile projects.
This organ demonstration is an opportunity to stop in to hear a Duke Chapel organ or Bösendorfer grand piano played in the informal atmosphere of an open rehearsal. These demonstrations …
Presentation by Alvin Ailey’s Matthew Rushing and Du’Bois A’Keen on the creation of Sacred Spaces, followed by discussion with Duke faculty Sherilynn Black, Jingqiu Guan, Ellen McLarney and Sarah Wilbur. …
In conjunction with The Declaration of Independence Display we invite you to join us for a special event! Famously, in December 1773, over a hundred colonists snuck onto ships in …
This organ demonstration is an opportunity to stop in to hear a Duke Chapel organ or Bösendorfer grand piano played in the informal atmosphere of an open rehearsal. These demonstrations …
With the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, photographer Ben Brody will present his work documenting and interpreting the wars that followed. Working at the intersection of photojournalism, art, …
Make a tiny critter, cat toy, or portrait using colored wool and specialized needles.
From NPR’s Tiny Desk to award-winning screen work, banjoist and songwriter Kaia Kater fuses folk, bluegrass, and contemporary roots music to tell stories of heritage and home.
Join the Hart Leadership Program for the second annual Public Purpose Symposium as we celebrate and explore community-engaged research and leadership in conversation with Hart Leadership Program students. Undergraduates, graduate …
This organ demonstration is an opportunity to stop in to hear a Duke Chapel organ or Bösendorfer grand piano played in the informal atmosphere of an open rehearsal. These demonstrations …
Special public screening w/ filmmaker Boots Riley in person: “I Love Boosters” (Boots Riley, 2026, 105 min, USA, DCP) == Free parking for this event will be available in the …
We invite you to join us for a Faculty Bookwatch event to highlight Gennifer Weisenfeld’s recent publication, The Fine Art of Persuasion: Corporate Advertising Design, Nation, and Empire in Modern …
Special public screening w/ filmmaker Boots Riley in person: “I Love Boosters” (Boots Riley, 2026, 105 min, USA, DCP) == Free parking for this event will be available in the …
Durham’s shirlette ammons brings her acclaimed album Language Barrier home for a special 10th anniversary performance featuring Lizz Wright, Phil Cook, and other guest artists.
A central feature of Caribbean poetics has been a pictorial mode of representing the natural landscape and the complex multicultural societies that have taken root in the archipelago. Verbal and …
In Sacred Spaces, Alvin Ailey’s Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing and Co-creator and Musical Director Du’Bois A’Keen revisit the legacy and spirituality of Revelations.
The Duke Department of Music invites you to our first Biddle Community Day! Join us as we open our doors and welcome the broader Triangle and on-campus communities to experience …
A central feature of Caribbean poetics has been a pictorial mode of representing the natural landscape and the complex multicultural societies that have taken root in the archipelago. Verbal and …
How are artists and performers of Asian descent disrupting the art world, including the world of classical ballet? What are current trends in Asian American art and theater? How can …
Using carefully prepared materials, participants will learn to attach and coil longleaf pine needles around a gourd, crafting a unique bowl.
As Durham’s signature fine arts festival, CenterFest showcases juried visual artists from the Triangle and across the country, alongside standout local performers on multiple stages. This year’s festival celebrates America 250!
Special screening: “About Face: Disrupting Ballet” (Jennifer Lin, 2025, 60 min, USA, English, DCP) ABOUT FACE: DISRUPTING BALLET is a feature-length documentary that spotlights Georgina Pazcoguin and Phil Chan, two …
Celebrate the artistry, mentorship, and community at the heart of Duke Music during the 2026 Faculty & Student Gala Concert. This all-Mendelssohn program brings together distinguished faculty, accomplished alumni, and …
Named for the weeping willow, Salix Piano Trio shapes Mozart, Brahms, Higdon, Bridge, and Shostakovich into a vivid arc where elegance and intensity meet “fiercely intelligent playing” (The Washington Post).
For centuries, the church has marked the transition from daytime to evening with psalms, prayer, and song. Duke Chapel’s Choral Evensong follows this historic pattern, using the liturgy of the …
Duke Chapel’s carillonneurs, Aaron Colston and Mitchell Eithun, offer this recital on the Chapel’s bells. Bring a chair or blanket and listen from the lawn on the Duke Chapel Quad, …
Create a colorful piece of handmade felt from dyed wool, using a Stone Age technique.
Join us for the first program in Archives in Motion, a film series hosted by the Archive of Documentary Arts. This casual gathering offers students, staff, faculty and our greater …
This organ demonstration is an opportunity to stop in to hear a Duke Chapel organ or Bösendorfer grand piano played in the informal atmosphere of an open rehearsal. These demonstrations …
You are invited to a film screening and discussion with Tara Moore, the director of the 2025 Oscar® Long-Listed documentary Legacy: Apartheid’s Shadow. The film offers a history of apartheid …
Students will be provided with a mini loom and selection of yarns. Together we will work through some simple weaving stitches and create something decorative.
Trailblazing comedian Mo Amer brings his sharp, deeply-personal stand-up to Durham to help kick off the Duke Arts Presents season. Known for his acclaimed series MO and three stand-up specials on Netflix, Amer has built a global following with comedy that blends personal storytelling, cultural insight, and fearless humor.
This organ demonstration is an opportunity to stop in to hear a Duke Chapel organ or Bösendorfer grand piano played in the informal atmosphere of an open rehearsal. These demonstrations …
Join the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy for a lecture with Mitt Romney, former U.S. senator from Utah, governor of Massachusetts, and 2012 Republican presidential nominee. As the United …
Chris Appleton of Social Rx and Dr. Anne Basting of TimeSlips join Prof. Sarah Wilbur to look at the past and future of arts-based referral practices and their nationwide expansion. …
Drawing on folk and Americana traditions, Cherokee artist Ken Pomeroy creates quietly powerful songs whose poetic lyrics have appeared in “Reservation Dogs” and the “Twisters” soundtrack.
This organ demonstration is an opportunity to stop in to hear a Duke Chapel organ or Bösendorfer grand piano played in the informal atmosphere of an open rehearsal. These demonstrations …
Ken Burns and David M. Rubenstein discuss civic engagement, leadership, and the nation’s founding ideals in this Duke exclusive event.
Join us for a screening of “Un Fandango en Carolina,” a collaborative documentary that tells the stories of the diasporic Sotaventino community in North Carolina through music, memory, and community …
Join acclaimed historian and author Erica Armstrong Dunbar for a thought-provoking conversation about her award-winning book, “Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge.” In dialogue …
Learn how to throw pottery on the wheel! In this introductory class, you will learn the basics of centering and throwing cylinders.
Join the Kenan Institute for Ethics and host Adriane Lentz-Smith for a conversation with historian, author, and “The Gilded Age” historical consultant and co-executive producer Erica Armstrong Dunbar on telling …
In this concert, two of J. S. Bach’s most intimate solo cantatas-“Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke,” BWV 84, and “Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust,” BWV 170-explore themes of contentment, contemplation, …
The Duke Dance Program is excited to present a Katherine Dunham Residency with April Berry from September 28 to October 2 at the Rubenstein Arts Center. Participants will have the …
Join local fiber artist Kimberley Pierce Cartwright for a hands-on quilting workshop that celebrates creativity, storytelling, and community.
The Duke Dance Program is excited to present a Katherine Dunham Residency with April Berry from September 28 to October 2 at the Rubenstein Arts Center. Participants will have the …
This organ demonstration is an opportunity to stop in to hear a Duke Chapel organ or Bösendorfer grand piano played in the informal atmosphere of an open rehearsal. These demonstrations …
The Duke Dance Program is excited to present a Katherine Dunham Residency with April Berry from September 28 to October 2 at the Rubenstein Arts Center. Participants will have the …
The Duke Dance Program is excited to present a Katherine Dunham Residency with April Berry from September 28 to October 2 at the Rubenstein Arts Center. Participants will have the …
This organ demonstration is an opportunity to stop in to hear a Duke Chapel organ or Bösendorfer grand piano played in the informal atmosphere of an open rehearsal. These demonstrations …
Join us at the Durham County Main Library for a discussion with Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke Professor of African American Studies at Duke, about his new book, Save …
Please join AGS for a Fireside Chat with 7th Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
Dr. Todd Taylor, pedagogical evangelist at Adobe, will present a workshop on Duke’s newest Adobe software, Acrobat Express. Limited seating. Registration link to come.
Madison Cunningham moves between indie folk, rock, and art-pop, known for layered arrangements and fearless songwriting—an approach that earned her a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.
The Laboratory for Social Choreography invites you to participate in its latest venture, Theater. Spend an evening in meaningful conversation with strangers. Listen, speak, disagree, remain silent, and encounter others …
The Duke Dance Program is excited to present a Katherine Dunham Residency with April Berry from September 28 to October 2 at the Rubenstein Arts Center. Participants will have the …
Please join the Disability Inclusion and Community Empowerment (DICE) Affinity Group, Duke University Press, and the Department of Cultural Anthropology for the book launch of “Sick Work: Exhaustion, Labor, and …
This organ demonstration is an opportunity to stop in to hear a Duke Chapel organ or Bösendorfer grand piano played in the informal atmosphere of an open rehearsal. These demonstrations …
Duke Professor of History Phil Stern in conversation with Mark Peterson, Yale University’s Edmund S. Morgan Professor of History and author of The Making and Breaking of the American Constitution: …
Can an oil change be filmed as a fluid master? Join artist Kenya (Robinson) for a free public event exploring the surprising connections between documentary filmmaking and auto mechanics through …
We invite you to a community conversation with April Berry to bring together your experience in the master class and film screening. The discussion invites conversation about the Dunham class …
The Laboratory for Social Choreography invites you to participate in its latest venture, Theater. Spend an evening in meaningful conversation with strangers. Listen, speak, disagree, remain silent, and encounter others …
Honor the dead at the Día de los Muertos Ofrenda at Duke Chapel. Visitors are invited to contribute photos, objects, or paper-chain links in remembrance of loved ones as part of this sacred Mexican tradition.
“Betsey Brown” is a new musical, with a book by Erika Dickerson-Despenza, music and lyrics by Crystal Monee Hall, produced by Jamila Ponton Bragg (T’96). The New Works Lab at …
In MAJOR, a dance-theater work by Ogemdi Ude, five Black femmes explore the power, memory, and physicality of majorette dance.
On October 3 and 4, the Program in American Grand Strategy will hold our annual staff ride – this year to Yorktown, Virginia, site of the final major campaign of …
Join us for a second free public event with visiting artist Kenya (Robinson), following her October 3 performance, “Fluid Master.” Using the first edition of TURBO TAROT, Kenya explores the …
Duke Rides is Duke’s new signature indoor cycling fundraiser, bringing Duke Nation together to support breakthrough cancer research, clinical trials, and patient care. Join us Oct. 3, 2026, at Wilson …
Duke Players is the student-run producing arm of the Department of Theater Studies. The group presents a weekend of Playhouse Shorts each fall and spring, comprised of a variety of …
Celebrate 100 years of the Duke Symphony Orchestra with a special centennial concert honoring the ensemble’s remarkable history and vibrant future. DSO alumni are invited to return, reconnect, and-should they …
For centuries, the church has marked the transition from daytime to evening with psalms, prayer, and song. Duke Chapel’s Choral Evensong follows this historic pattern, using the liturgy of the …
A standout from Sweden’s chamber scene, Camerata Nordica’s self-conducted octet dives into Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Shostakovich, performing from within the ensemble for a thrilling sense of collaboration and energy.
Duke Players is the student-run producing arm of the Department of Theater Studies. The group presents a weekend of Playhouse Shorts each fall and spring, comprised of a variety of …
This two-hour workshop will cover the basics of screen printing: putting images on screens (making a stencil), ink mixing, and how to effectively use a squeegee.
This organ demonstration is an opportunity to stop in to hear a Duke Chapel organ or Bösendorfer grand piano played in the informal atmosphere of an open rehearsal. These demonstrations …
This class introduces the traditions of Dia de Muertos. We will construct an ofrenda and learn how to produce paper cempaxochitl (marigolds) and papel picado (cut paper).
mosaic, in partnership with Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and Duke Arts, welcomes acclaimed author, humorist, and cultural critic Fran Lebowitz for a special conversation at Duke. A selective …