When rare copies of the Declaration of Independence arrive in Durham this fall, first at the Durham County Main Library, then at the Nasher Museum of Art, visitors will have the opportunity to encounter one of the nation’s founding documents in a new context. The exhibition, The Declaration of Independence, is one of the signature programs in We the People, a Duke and Durham initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States through an exploration of the nation’s evolving identity. With three historic copies of the Declaration on display—including a rare Stone Declaration, considered the most official surviving copy of the original document—the exhibition invites audiences to consider not only the document’s history and significance, but also its enduring influence on civic life.
The exhibition also serves as an anchor for a year of performances, exhibitions, scholarship and public conversations across Duke that ask a broader set of questions: Who belongs? Whose voices have shaped the nation’s story? And how can the arts help people engage thoughtfully with the complexities of the past and present?
For Deborah Rutter, Duke’s vice provost for the arts, We the People is a convening opportunity that brings together artists, scholars, students and the broader community to engage in meaningful dialogue through creative expression.
“We want people to encounter the Declaration not simply as a treasured artifact, but as a living document that continues to inspire questions about democracy, belonging, and civic life,” said Rutter.
“Through the arts, we can create opportunities for people to engage with those questions together, bringing history into conversation with the experiences, ideas, and creative voices that continue to shape our communities.”
Deborah Rutter, vice provost for the arts
For Duke’s arts curators and scholars, the exhibition of the Declaration is a catalyst for discussion about how we interpret and shape our history through art; it anchors extensive artistic programming within We the People that includes exhibitions at the Nasher Museum, performances in the Duke Arts Presents season, a range of courses and activations from faculty, and other programming across campus and within Durham.
When the Declaration of Independence is installed at the Nasher, it will be part of a broader exploration of democracy, identity, and civic participation unfolding at the Nasher. Visitors will encounter We the People, Nari Ward’s monumental installation that transforms hundreds of shoelaces into one of the nation’s most recognizable civic phrases, inviting reflection on belonging, community, and the evolving meaning of American democracy. Presented alongside three other exhibitions, including Turn the volume up!, examining how artists, activists, and everyday people have organized for justice across generations; Explosion! Bay Area Punk, showcasing a revolutionary movement that challenged political and cultural conventions; and the ongoing Tall Tales and Short Stories: Depictions of the American Experience, which invites viewers to critically explore our nation’s narratives and history through art.
Seen together, the exhibitions invite visitors to consider how the ideals expressed in the Declaration have been interpreted, challenged, and expanded over the past 250 years, offering new perspectives on the relationship between history, civic participation, and creative expression.
“Museums are places where history and the present can meet in meaningful ways,” said Marshall N. Price, chief curator at the Nasher Museum of Art.
“By bringing together the Declaration of Independence with artists like Nari Ward and the voices represented in Turn the volume up!, along with several other installations, we’re inviting visitors into a conversation about the promises of our democracy and the work that remains to realize them.”
Marshall N. Price, chief curator at the Nasher Museum of Art
We the People continues on stages across campus during Duke Arts Presents’ 2026–27 season, Our Common Home, which brings together musicians, dancers, theater artists and storytellers whose work reflects the richness and diversity of experiences in the United States. Rather than presenting a singular narrative, the season invites audiences to encounter a range of perspectives on identity and history through performance.
The season opens with Durham native shirlette ammons performing with Lizz Wright, Phil Cook, and more; ammons’ multi-genre album Language Barrier draws on hip-hop, gospel, jazz and folk traditions to tell stories rooted in place and memory. Other performances explore equally expansive themes, from Christian McBride’s celebration of jazz traditions and Matthew Rushing’s reimagining of music from Alvin Ailey’s Revelations, to Taylor Mac and Matt Ray’s reflection on queer history, Hope Boykin’s tribute to Durham gospel legend Shirley Caesar, and Gabriel Kahane’s new song cycle connecting the history of nonviolent protest with a celebration of shared humanity. Pianist Awadagin Pratt’s “America 250” program similarly examines the breadth of musical voices that have shaped the nation, bringing together composers from Florence Price and George Walker to contemporary American artists.
“We the People provides an opportunity for artists—and audiences—to reflect on both the ‘we’ and ‘the people’ who have made up the past 250 years and heading into the next chapter of these stories,” notes Aaron Shackelford, Director of Programming at Duke Arts. “This is where artists excel: helping us to reflect on the challenges and opportunities and complexities of both where we come from and where we want to go from here.”
Across Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, faculty are engaging many of these same questions through “Belonging?,” a humanities- and arts-driven initiative that serves as Trinity’s signature contribution to We the People. Rather than assuming belonging is a universal or uncomplicated experience, the initiative frames it as an open question—one shaped by histories of migration, citizenship, race, language, religion and power.
The initiative encourages faculty, students and staff to examine who has been understood to belong in the United States over the past 250 years, how communities have challenged or expanded those definitions, and what belonging means within the Duke community today. Through courses, performances, exhibitions, lectures and student-centered programming, “Belonging?” positions the humanities and arts as essential tools for interpreting the past and imagining more inclusive futures.
For instance, the Department of Religious Studies is planning a year-long project exploring religious freedom and forms of belonging that includes an opening panel discussion, a conversation series featuring invited scholars, multiple courses examining belonging across religious, cultural and philosophical contexts and student-focused activities including research projects, events and a student paper competition. Theater Studies will host a reading and discussion of the Declaration with invited scholars, student-created performances developed within coursework and a spring showcase featuring visiting artists. A formal announcement of the projects and initiatives within the “Belonging?” umbrella will be shared later this summer.
“The humanities and the arts create spaces where people can wrestle with complex questions that rarely have simple answers,” said Leo Ching, Schiff Family Dean of Humanities and the Arts in Trinity College.
“Through scholarship, creative practice, performance and exhibition, our faculty and students invite audiences not simply to revisit the nation’s history, but to examine how ideas about belonging, identity and democracy continue to evolve. Artist-scholars are uniquely positioned to connect research with lived experience, fostering conversations that extend from the classroom into our galleries, theaters and the broader community.”
Leo Ching, Schiff Family Dean of Humanities and the Arts in Trinity College
The expansive We the People programming features a range of additional events and exhibitions, including concerts from Duke’s Ciompi Quartet, public hands-on arts workshops from Duke Arts Create, an installation at the Rubenstein Arts Center, and more. Additional partners across Duke and Durham will contribute performances, exhibitions and public programs that expand the conversation beyond campus.
Taken together, these efforts reflect the collaborative spirit at the heart of We the People. Rather than asking audiences to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary in a single way, the initiative invites them into an ongoing conversation that considers the ideals expressed in the Declaration alongside the histories, experiences and artistic voices that have continually shaped and redefined life in the United States.
The Declaration of Independence will be on view at the Durham County Main Library from September 8–20, 2026 and at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University from September 24, 2026–January 3, 2027.
Additional We the People programming will be announced on a rolling basis. For more information, visit wethepeople.duke.edu.