Apply for an Arts Project

One of the Ruby’s core missions is to provide dedicated space for student and faculty artists to create new work, collaborate, and engage with the wider Duke community and Durham. To that end, the Office of the Vice Provost of the Arts—Duke Arts invites individual artists or project teams working in any medium to apply for an arts project.

The major benefits of this award are the space to create and the platform to present the work to the public without explicit production requirements. Certain media equipment and other tools can also be provided by the arts center.

The arts project program at the Rubenstein Arts Center is currently suspended as we work to support the university-wide COVID-19 response.

To protect the health of our broader community, the arts center continues to be closed to the public, as are other Duke attractions, including the Nasher Museum of Art and Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Ruby exhibition and residency spaces are, for now, re-purposed into classrooms.

If you are a current Duke student with a specific request related to your academic coursework, we invite you to be in touch with us by writing artscenter@duke.edu. General questions or comments may also be sent to artscenter@duke.edu.

You are the lead designer, artist, and/or curator for your project! Arts center staff are available to support the design and installation process for proposed public exhibits or installations. Once your project has been selected, arts center staff will meet with you to determine your needs, and establish a production schedule, as applicable.

Our Goals

The Rubenstein Arts Center is designed to elevate the creative process and expand opportunities for artists to share their work and ideas. The Ruby Advisory Committee awards art projects twice a year, and prioritizes the potential for collaboration and wide campus and community impact. Other considerations include a balance between student, faculty, and visiting artist work, as well as equitable distribution across departments.

Three Types of Art Projects

Gallery Exhibits

Ready-to-hang exhibit or installation proposals for the upstairs gallery (basic room specs). Open to Duke students (undergraduate and graduate), faculty, staff, and other campus organizations.

Working Residencies

Space and resources to support a residency that is primarily closed to the public, offered in the upstairs painting studio (basic room specs, best suited for visual artists) or the Murthy Agora (basic room specs). If you are a Duke faculty member, department, or organization bringing a visiting artist to campus this framework can help host the artist by providing physical space and some financial support. There must be some public component to your project; you may be invited to give a presentation on your work at the arts center. Open to independent artists, students, faculty, staff, and other campus organizations. Independent artists receive priority during the summer.

Multimedia Installations

The Murthy Agora is a very flexible space that can support audio and video installations. If you are interested in developing a public installation/exhibit concept with some technical support from arts center staff, this is likely the right fit for you.  Open students, faculty, staff, and other campus organizations.

Financial Support

The Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts—Duke Arts funds exhibit/installation related printing needs and reception costs. Applicants are invited to submit a budget for additional funding consideration. We cannot pay for artist fees or honoraria connected to exhibits/installations.

Independent or faculty-nominated visiting artists completing working residencies receive an honorarium ($250 per week, paid at the end of the residency) and up to $500 in supplies.

For more information on what funding can be provided, please review these guidelines.

Questions?

Please contact Bill Fick, assistant director of visual and studio arts, at bill.fick@duke.edu.