Every once in a while, we ask ourselves the question "Is Duke an artsy school?" Framed in a way that would fit on an admissions brochure, maybe the question would be: “Is Duke a leading research university that actively pursues a holistic, interdisciplinary framework for undergraduate arts engagement?”
I personally will only believe Duke is an artsy school if The Chronicle shifts its content to woodcut-block print zines printed with vegetable dyes from the campus farm. I think we should have a Conceptual Artist in Residence who asks the student body to perform tasks like “Sing the color purple” or “Hide where no one can find you.” I would also like to request to be able to use a pottery wheel while listening simultaneously to a Irish step-dancing and Bhangra teams, surrounded by my classmates’ award-winning sketches and silk screen prints.
While the first two requests may be impossible for now, the last one is thankfully completely within reach. Now that the Duke Arts Annex is in its third year of operations, student artists and dancers have a fully-developed community space to paint, practice and create. As a member of the Arts Annex desk staff during its opening semesters, I still remember the excitement of watching the building fill with dancers and visual arts, while being caught between the tap team’s remix of “Singing in the Rain” and the music of The Smiths blaring tinnily out of a painter’s phone. From the very beginning, you could feel the concentrated energy of every artist, like a soft-glow version of being in the library during finals week. Each student was completely immersed in their own work, yet, at the same time, there was a wonderful sense of community. And though the Annex initially focused on paint and canvases, it has expanded to include pottery, screen printing and photography studios. The best part of course is that the materials are free. There’s also coffee from the Duke Coffeehouse, a ridiculously plush study area and the last remaining piano from last year’s Duke Arts Festival.
Yes, it’s true that the walk to the Arts Annex is counterintuitive and, perhaps for those without strong quad muscles, a potential health hazard. But even if Duke’s arts culture is still slightly underground, the last four years have ushered in a bevy of arts havens. While we've always known that amazing research occurs in the basements of Duke’s science buildings, it is now apparent that equally creative and professional work occurs in Duke’s hidden arts spaces.
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