Recently, I met yet another student who has never visited the Duke University Museum of Art. The arts are a significant part of a liberal arts education, and yet many of us leave Duke without taking advantage of the arts, missing an excellent opportunity to enhance our undergraduate experience.
DUMA, on East Campus, houses a fine permanent collection and also showcases cutting-edge modern artists. Weekly "After-Hours" programs include lectures, concerts, dance performances and cooking demonstrations. The opportunity is there, right outside our dorms, yet most students never take advantage of this amazing opportunity at Duke.
With a generous donation from the Nasher family, a new museum is being built by on Campus Drive. Renowned architect Rafael Vinoly - recently selected to renovate the Kennedy Center and one of two finalists for the World Trade Center project - has designed the Nasher Museum of Art with more exhibition space, as well as a lecture hall, classrooms, a cafe and a grand atrium for large events.
This museum will serve a different purpose for each of us. Some will choose to exhibit their art in it; others will visit as a break from studying, stress, or roommates; some will come to meet a friend for coffee; others to find a quiet place to read, and of course, all will have the chance to enjoy the art. It will be like no other building on our campus, and will offer opportunities for culture, meditation, solitude, community, and a greater appreciation of the arts.
Soon you will receive an email survey asking what you hope to see in the Nasher Museum of Art. Please fill it out and let us know how the museum can best serve you. As an extra incentive, all survey respondents will be entered in a drawing for a gift certificate to Southpoint. And, the next time you are on East, take a couple minutes to visit DUMA, you'll be surprised at what you find there!
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