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2005 – 2015

Odili Donald Odita, Shadow and Light (For Julian Francis Abele) (installation view), 2015. Acrylic latex paint on wall, dimensions variable. Commissioned by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.

In 2015, the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University presented Nasher 10, an exciting year to celebrate our first decade and beyond. In the first major renovation since 2005, The New Galleries: A Collection Come to Light emphasized pride in the depth of our collection. A second exhibition that was on view from October 1, 2015 through July 10, 2016, Reality of My Surroundings: The Contemporary Collection, highlighted some of the most significant works from the Museum’s contemporary collection.

“We were very proud to bring Odili Donald Odita to Duke to kick off the celebration of our amazing first decade and the decades to come,” said Sarah Schroth, Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Director of the Nasher Museum. “His beautiful, abstract wall paintings demonstrate a rare use of color and pattern executed through a rigorous process. Odita’s colors reflect his vision from his travels around the world. His painting inside the museum will visually connect with a monumental wall painting in downtown Durham, symbolizing our enthusiastic commitment to the community.”

Odili Donald Odita, Time Bridge, 2015. Acrylic latex paint on wall, dimensions variable. Commissioned by the Nasher Museum of at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Photo by J Caldwell.

Commissions in Celebration and Julian Francis Abele

The museum also commissioned two large wall murals by abstract painter Odili Donald Odita─one inside the museum and one in downtown Durham. His wall painting inside the Nasher Museum’s Mary D.B.T. Semans Great Hall, entitled Shadow and Light (For Julian Francis Abele), is inspired by the African-American architect who designed most of Duke’s campus. His wall painting on the Foster Street wall of the Downtown Durham YMCA, 218 W. Morgan Street, entitled Time Bridge, is inspired by the people of Durham.

The two murals visually symbolize the Nasher Museum’s commitment to the community. Nasher 10 celebrated the museum as a place that welcomes and inspires the people who live, work and study here.

Nasher 10 Book: A History of the First 10 Years

The award-winning Nasher10 book.
The award-winning Nasher10 book.

The Nasher Museum book, Nasher10: Celebrating a Decade, won a certificate of excellence in the 2016 American Inhouse Design Awards. The national award from Graphic Design USA honored the book among 6,000 entries. Nasher10: Celebrating a Decade also won “Best of Show” in the 2015 Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA) awards program. Forty-seven North and South Carolina printers entered 631 pieces in the 2015 PICA awards. At a ceremony in April 2016, the Mac Papers Best of Show award was presented to TCG Legacy from Garner, NC, for printing Nasher10. The book was designed by Rachel Goodwin, graphic designer and web content manager, and edited by Wendy Hower, director of engagement and marketing, at the Nasher Museum. For more information on the book contact wendy.hower@duke.edu.

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