To the Duke Arts community,

The arts, at Duke and around the world, are deeply impacted by COVID-19. As the university responds to the COVID-19 crisis, our arts community is also adjusting and adapting to new ways of living, learning, and making. Faculty are reinventing the way they teach as they move stage and studio online. Several Art, Art History & Visual Studies instructors are even sending kits to students at home to allow them to continue creating artwork.

As we practice social distancing, we have to remember the community of artists who depend on social interactions for their livelihoods. I am pleased to share that Duke University is a leading contributor to an arts relief fund here in Durham. I encourage you to find ways to support artists in your region.

You can look forward to new ways to experience the arts at Duke as you shelter safely at home. Duke Performances will soon launch a series of livestreams with artists (in the meantime, enjoy their curated Spotify playlists). Select arts events, including DukeCreate workshops, are being reimagined online. We are also working to give audience to our students—stay tuned for profiles of the MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts Class of 2020 and much more.

For all of us who practice the arts, I hope you can share your work with others through social media, or maybe a Zoom performance, or even poetic texting! This will solidify our shared experiences and remind us that even though we are distanced, we are not alone.

Thank you for being part of this community, and be well,

Scott Lindroth
Vice Provost for the Arts