Arts Outlook

From Alexander Calder’s sculpture and Shakespeare’s plays to optical installation, robotics, and interactive video, the 2011-12 academic year will bring a range of innovative artists to campus through funds provided by the Vice Provost Office for the Arts and the Council for the Arts.

In October, members of the New York-based chamber group Wet Ink Ensemble begin a two-year residency as adjunct faculty members, teaching master classes, performing, and coaching. In the first year, the ensemble will present a series of public concerts and campus activities. During the second year, music students will be paired with students in the new Master of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Arts (MFAEDA) program to develop works that Wet Ink will premier at Duke and in New York.

In late January, Fiasco Theater, a Brown University/Trinity Repertory-trained ensemble based in New York, will conduct a three-week Shakespeare residency, performing a finished version of its highly acclaimed Cymbeline and starting development on a new version of Measure for Measure. Open rehearsals will give students, faculty members, and interested members of the community a window into their artistic process. The ensemble will offer intensive classes in acting, voice, and rehearsal techniques, and, through additional public residency events, will interact with the Durham community. The group also plans to take on student interns during its residency.

In conjunction with the Nasher Museum exhibition “Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy,” participating artists Kristi Lippire and Jason Middlebrook will offer educational initiatives with Duke faculty members and students; hold K-12 educator workshops; and host gallery tours for workshop participants, Duke students and faculty members, museum members, and the public.

View images from the exhibition