Academic Initiatives & Collection Research

Our department supports all aspects of academic engagement between the Nasher Museum of Art and Duke University. We facilitate scholarly research on our collection and partner with university instructors to design specialized lesson plans and assignments that fulfill course objectives through engagement with the Nasher. In class visits lead or co-lead by Academic Initiatives staff upon request, students at all levels have access to a custom curated selection of works from our permanent collection galleries and study storage, as well as exhibitions on view.

The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University is an interdisciplinary nexus and laboratory where students and scholars can investigate, explore and test knowledge. Confronted with a different kind of source material—objects and images rather than text—viewers are challenged to consider concepts and issues in a new way.

Visual literacy is an increasingly important skill and an essential component of a 21st-century education. By providing the necessary tools and experiences to critically consider visual culture we empower students and scholars to search out their own answers. We encourage you to explore the tabs above and the activities listed below for ideas. For more about visual literacy, visit How Do You Look? [temporarily unavailable]

Only a small portion of the museum’s permanent collection is on view at any one time. We invite you to browse the collection online to learn more about individual objects, whether currently on view or in storage.

To discuss the possibilities for your classes or research, please contact:

Julia K. McHugh, Ph.D., Trent A. Carmichael Curator of Academic Initiatives, at julia.mchugh@duke.edu or 919-684-5203, or

Ellen C. Raimond, Ph.D., Associate Curator of Academic Initiatives, at ellen.raimond@duke.edu or 919-684-8067.

To obtain high-resolution images of works from our collection for your teaching or access to objects files for your research please contact:

Bryan Hilley, Assistant Registrar, at bryan.hilley@duke.edu, or 919-684-1971

Reading Black Art: A Bibliography is an online resource that will aid in a better understanding of and engagement with work by Black artists in the Nasher Museum collection. It is a non-exhaustive bibliography on art, art history and visual culture of the African Diaspora. This curated selection presents a wide array of instructive texts and will be updated monthly.