Duke University (Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies)

The Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University offers an interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in the History of Art. We invite applications from highly qualified students interested in careers in research, teaching, and criticism.
The Ph.D. Program is committed to preparing students for advanced research in the visual cultures of the past and present. The Department recognizes that visual literacy plays an increasingly important role in negotiating contemporary society. Art, architecture, mass media (television, video, film, internet), and urbanism all work through reference to visual and spatial conventions. We strive, in consequence, to provide our graduate students not only with the necessary tools to understand objects and archives, but also the skills to interpret visual and material culture for the benefit of the broader community.

Program Strengths

Duke University is in the forefront of academic institutions supporting interdisciplinary and theoretical initiatives in the Humanities. Art History makes a unique contribution to these ventures. All members of the Art History faculty are engaged in innovative teaching or research projects involving faculty from other departments and programs. Courses that have been team-taught include "Mercantile Culture and the Art in the Netherlands" (Art History and Economics), "Late Ancient Christian Culture" (Art History and Religion), and "Introduction to Medieval/ Renaissance Studies" (Art History, English, and History). Three faculty members of the Department have received Women's Studies mainstreaming awards, allowing them to explore feminist issues in courses on Modern and Postmodern Architecture, Gothic Architecture and Modern Women Artists. The interdisciplinary character of many of the Department's courses is indicated by their cross-listing in other programs' offerings: “History of Photography” (Art History, Film/Video/Digital and Documentary Studies), "The Blues Aesthetic: African-American Art in the Twentieth Century" (African and African-American Studies), "History of Netherlandish Art and Visual Culture in a European Context" (Comparative Area Studies and Medieval and Renaissance Studies), “Mercantile Culture and Art in the Netherlands” (Economics) and “Early Christian Culture” (Religion).

The Research Triangle area provides a culturally rich setting for Duke University. In addition to the Duke’s new Nasher Museum of Art, with which the Department is closely affiliated, students have access to the nearby Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. A large number of other arts institutions are located in the area, including the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem and Weatherspoon Art Gallery in Greensboro.

In conjunction with the Nasher Museum of Art, Ph.D. candidates may also obtain a Certificate in Museology. Students may take courses for full credit toward their degree at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, which has a distinguished Art History faculty, and North Carolina State University at Raleigh, which is well-known for its School of Design.


Financial Aid, Teaching Assistantships, and Fellowships

All students accepted into the program receive financial support, including a stipend and tuition. If the student performs as expected, that support will be continued for five years. Support is provided by a number of sources including the Department's Graduate Studies Endowments, the John Derrickson McCurdy Fellowship, the Fellowship in Curatorial Studies and the University's special awards, such as the James B. Duke, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Duke Endowment, and International Fellowships. Students may also apply for dissertation travel awards, summer stipends, and travel support for delivering papers at conferences. Teaching experience is regarded as an important part of graduate education; all students will be expected to participate in undergraduate courses as Graduate Teaching Assistants and Instructional Assistants. Students at an advanced stage are encouraged to gain teaching experience through the Summer School. Students who have finished their prelims and have completed the basic research for their dissertations may also petition to teach their own upper-level course in the department.

Study in Venice

The graduate program has an exchange agreement with the Scuola di Studi Avanzati in Venice, and both faculty and students may have the opportunity to teach or study at the other institution for a semester. Students who wish to apply to study in Venice for a semester should discuss this option with their advisor. If selected for the program, study will be covered by their graduate fellowship at Duke.


Undergraduates

Modern culture is a visual culture, deluged with images from the popular media -- advertising, photography, television, film and video -- and professional contexts -- the courtroom, the hospital, the lecture hall. From fractal theory in the sciences to computer imaging, visual knowledge is central to critical thinking in the late twentieth century. The historical study of art, architecture and visual culture provides the understanding and the language necessary for analyzing space and image and recognizing their social impact. The making of art develops the ability to think visually and resolve spatial problems at the same time that it involves the resonant satisfactions of creativity.

Art History is interdisciplinary. It involves the student in the politics and economics of the period in which the work was produced as well as in its literature and religion. As in other fields of the Humanities, students are given the opportunity to develop their ability to formulate ideas orally and in writing. But in the study and criticism of structures and images, students refine their powers of gathering information visually as well as verbally. As a consequence of the historical and critical training involved in the study of Art History, majors are well-prepared for careers in any of the professions.

Although a passion for the visual artifact must lie at the core of successful work in the history or practice of art, both Art History and Studio training are current and practical. The study of art provides the excitement and pleasure of a new awareness of your physical context, a new and compelling way to think and debate, a new perspective on past and present realities.


Careers for Art & Art History Majors

Because of its emphasis on precise observation, description, and clear expression, majoring in Visual Arts and Art History provides an excellent preparation for a wide range of careers. Our majors pursue graduate degrees in Art History as preparation for careers in teaching and museums. Some Visual Arts majors earn Masters of Fine Arts and become practicing artists. A number of students have become architects, urban planners, or landscape architects. Some have been able to combine their interests in art with other professions; they specialize as legal advisors to museums, dealers, or private and corporate collectors. Others become involved in arts management for private, local, or federal agencies, or they serve as consultants who advise individuals and businesses in purchasing art collections. A number of former students have also received further training for careers in restoration and conservation, as well as architectural preservation. Many have gone into careers in medicine, law, and business.
There are opportunities to gain experience in some of these professions even before graduation. Internships have been available at the Nasher Museum of Art and the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. A number of students have also arranged for internships in galleries and museums during the summer. Since a career in teaching or in a museum presupposes a love of research, students with a strong academic record are encouraged to apply for a number of fellowship possibilities that offer the opportunity for study abroad, such as the Rhodes, Marshall, and Fulbright fellowships. Both Art History and Visual Arts majors are encouraged to apply for a Benenson Prize to support a project they want to pursue.


Graduate Study in Art History

There are a number of outstanding graduate programs in Art History and Visual Arts. If you are considering a career in Art History (teaching or in a museum), graduate study (usually a Ph.D.) has become a necessity. Students considering this alternative should talk to their professors as well as to the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Those considering graduate work should take ARTHIST 296S, Methodology in Art History, and at least one other seminar during their junior or senior year. Graduating with Distinction is also highly recommended. Most Art History graduate programs require a reading knowledge of German and at least one other language for graduate work.

Visual Arts majors interested in advanced work leading to Master of Fine Arts should prepare a portfolio in consultation with a member of the Visual Arts faculty. It is advisable to develop a body of work in the particular area that you plan to concentrate on in graduate school. Advanced course work in the form of Independent Studies in the area of specialization is encouraged. Graduating with Distinction is also highly recommended.

Summer courses taken at other universities or abroad are an excellent way to supplement the opportunities available at Duke. There is an extensive file of such programs in the Art Department Office (East Duke Building) as well as in the Office of Study Abroad.

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