Three Projects Celebrating Duke’s Centennial

In celebration of Duke’s Centennial, Duke Arts is thrilled to share three projects dedicated to highlighting pieces of Duke’s artistic history. We invite our Duke and Durham communities to learn and contribute to these projects that explore Duke’s relationship to the arts.

Left: Young Growth photo by Stefan Hoffmann | Middle: Screenshot of interactive map | Right: Photo of timeline installation

 

The projects include a new screen-printed installation from Stefan Hoffmann, an interactive map of arts locations at Duke and an open-submission timeline at the Rubenstein Arts Center.

Join us for a public reception on Tuesday, March 19 from 6–7:30 p.m. celebrating the launch of all three projects at the Rubenstein Arts Center! This reception is open to all and includes hors d’oeuvres, non-alcoholic beverages and screen-printed giveaways!

 

Young Growth

Class visit with Stefam Hoffmann. Photo by Rob Underhill.

Young Growth is a vertical screen printing installation on the windows of the Murthy Agora at the Rubenstein Arts Center, created by recent artist-in-residence Stefan Hoffmann. Hoffmann, a Dutch artist is known for his innovative approach to screen-printing, applying it vertically directly on walls and windows. He created the installation during a 10-day residency in February 2024 that featured classroom visits and discussions with academics across the university. During his visit, a short video reel of Hoffmann’s revolutionary screen-printing technique went viral on the Duke Arts Instagram account, with over 1.7 million views, and was shared by artists throughout the global screen-printing community.

Watch the Reel

For his Young Growth installation, Hoffmann incorporated elements significant to Duke’s history. The installation focused on scientific illustrations and was inspired by the extensive Sarah P. Duke Gardens. It features Professor of Biochemistry Jane Richardson’s renowned ribbon drawing of superoxide dismutase (2SOD) and a depiction of Lygodium Palmatum, a climbing fern, by Hugo L. Blomquist, Duke University’s first Professor of Botany. These illustrations, fragmented and undergoing multiple free transformations are placed within a fictional archaeological backdrop. Therein, the image of an empty pedestal, once home to a statue of Robert E. Lee at the Duke Chapel entrance portal, plays a central role. The pedestal is repeatedly printed in varying heights and configurations evoking the remains of column rows, reminiscent of the ancient Roman Agora in Athens, Greece. The empty pedestal asks viewers to reflect on history — which stories are told, and whose impact is celebrated.

The Young Growth installation will be on view through December 2024.

Learn More about “Young Growth”

100 Years of Art at Duke Timeline


The 100 Years of Art at Duke Timeline is an open submission project that features arts events dating back as early to the Trinity years. From now through May 2025, visitors are encouraged to submit moments of artistic significance to be added to the timeline — showcasing large and small artistic moments from Duke’s past. To submit to the Timeline, please fill out this online form or submit in-person at the Rubenstein Arts Center.

The Timeline was designed by Matthew Tauch in collaboration with Bill Fick and is on display on the first floor of the Rubenstein Arts Center, outside of the Film Theater.

Submit to the Timeline

Duke Arts Map

Created in celebration of Duke’s Centennial, this interactive map from Duke Arts highlights locations in and around Duke University that hold artistic significance to Duke and Durham communities.

Discover background information on different buildings and public artwork on campus from Duke Chapel to the “Nature and the Scientist” sculpture on Science Drive. Learn about art as you walk around campus using the accompanying app, developed by Urban Archive.

This is an ongoing project, and the public is invited to submit locations of artistic interest both on the Duke Campus and in Durham. Email arts@duke.edu to make suggestions.

View the Map