As we close out 2025, we’re reflecting with gratitude on the unforgettable arts experiences we created together this year and the essential role your support plays in making them possible. Whether you joined us as an audience member, student, or donor, your generosity makes it possible for Duke Arts to serve our communities in bold, meaningful ways.
From hands-on student programs to vibrant public performances, your support fuels every moment of creativity on our stages, in our classrooms, and across Durham.
And what a year it’s been. From audiences reached to pounds of clay thrown, here are just a few of the numbers that tell the story of a big, busy, brilliant year at Duke Arts.
From intensive student programs with cohorts of six students to 1,200 seat concerts, our communities showed up for the arts this year.
Previously only available to the Duke community, we opened 33% of this year’s Duke Arts Create workshops to the general public, and we expanded the series to include large-scale workshops for campus partners, reaching more students than ever before.
Duke Arts connects artists to students at Duke and in Durham. In 2025, students participated in 16 masterclasses, and artists visited 15 classrooms from Durham Public Schools to the School of Nursing.
Programmed to reflect and complement the varied artforms being taught in Duke classrooms, the Duke Arts Presents season offered a range of performances that exemplified global excellence in a wide range of artforms.
From intimate puppet theatre in the Ruby to large-scale comedy shows in Page Auditorium – you showed up this year for artists in a big way.
From public concerts to film screenings and exhibitions at the Rubenstein Arts Center and Duke Chapel, audiences from Durham and Duke experienced free art all year long.
Duke students from across campus participated in four competitive student programs, developing art programs with Durham Public School (DPS) teachers, growing professional skills through experiential learning, developing original creative projects, and studying at the acclaimed New England Conservatory of Music.
This year, Duke Arts aligned with Duke’s Climate Commitment by integrating eco-friendly approaches into event operations and art-making workshops. Our two Duke Green Devil interns, Jenna Arafeh and Yuchen Chen, kicked off our new Art of Renewal series focusing on sustainable artistic practice. Through our partnership with ReCollective, we have seen:
Waste Diverted
Compost Created
Methane Avoided
The largest drum, O-daiko, weighed 660 lbs
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