This is a summary of a story written by Miriam Sauls on Duke Arts.
Two years ago, John Brown, a music professor and Duke University’s former provost for the arts, invited several university students to envision an arts program that would connect art students at Duke with Durham Public Schools (DPS).
Doctoral student Devon Carter was with one of the first student teams tasked with turning Brown’s vision into a reality.
“One of the ideas that came up again and again was centered around a final showcase or performance that would bring the DPS students to campus and feature their work,” said Carter, who earned a Ph.D. last year in musicology and is now teaching at Shaw University.
Later that year, the Mary Duke Biddle Duke Arts Fellows was born. Collaboration is at the heart of the arts program that brings a Duke student and arts faculty member into the classroom of a DPS arts educator.
This year in early spring, the students and teachers gathered at the Rubenstein Arts Center (The Ruby) and the Nasher Museum on West Campus gathered to see their creations: a visual arts show, and dance, writing and theater presentations, respectively.
At the Ruby, students from Northern High School displayed portraits they had painted.
Meanwhile, at the Nasher, Carrington Middle teacher Shamia Truitt-Martin talked about how the program has been beneficial for all involved: “It was really nice to see where the students started and where they are now. This has been an awesome experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life.”
To see photos and a video of their work, visit Duke Arts.
