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November 19, 2019 3:00–5:00 pm
Rubenstein Arts Center, Courtyard
Special Topics

Tintype Workshop with Timothy Duffy

Taught by Timothy Duffy

About the Workshop

Timothy Duffy visits the Ruby to share his tintype photography process—and make some collaborative prints. Several of his portraits are on view in (and on!) the Ruby in Music Maker 25: Selections from Timothy Duffy’s Blue Muse.

The tintype is an American innovation dating back to the nineteenth century. It requires coating a metal plate with a wet, syrupy solution that holds light-sensitive chemicals. The plate must then be placed immediately in the camera and exposed to the subject before it dries completely. The best tintypes often result from incidental effects of the process—drying too quickly, oversensitivity, or slight ripples in the surface of the emulsion. Working in either the studio with powerful lights that help speed up a typically long exposure time, or out in the field with his “wet plate wagon” (a portable darkroom trailer that he pulls with his truck), Duffy creates powerful images of musicians who are living expression of an important cultural legacy.

Stay after the workshop for an opening reception and artist talk, 6–8pm, with Timothy Duffy!

About the Instructor

Timothy Duffy is a renowned photographer and founder of the Music Maker Relief Foundation. Timothy has been recording and photographing traditional artists in the South since the age of 16, when he became interested in ethnomusicology. After earning a BA from Friends World College and MA from the Curriculum in Folklore at the UNC, Timothy and his wife Denise founded Music Maker Relief Foundation in 1994 to assist traditional musicians in need. Read more.

About the Location

This workshop will meet in the courtyard behind the Rubenstein Arts Center. If it is raining, an alternative workshop location in the Ruby will be announced the morning-of.

Supported by

About DukeCreate

DukeCreate is a series of free, hands-on arts workshops designed to help Duke students, staff, and faculty develop a variety of creative skills. Workshops are open to all skill levels and backgrounds. Most take place in the Duke Arts Annex or the Rubenstein Arts Center and are typically held weeknights 6-8pm.

Workshops are free to all Duke students and staff, with priority given to students. Class size is limited. Students must sign up in advance. Registration for the following week’s DukeCreate workshops goes live on Friday mornings – sign up in advance to guarantee your spot!  Online enrollment for Duke staff opens on the day of the workshop. Staff can also show up 10 minutes prior to a workshop in case a slot becomes available. Walk-ins will be accommodated on a space-available basis.

DukeCreate is sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts (DukeArts) and University Center Activities and Events (UCAE).