Incubator Gallery

Located within The Collection Galleries the Incubator Gallery is often used for student- and faculty-curated exhibitions. Exhibitions in this 600-square-foot gallery are organized in collaboration with staff in the Nasher’s Academic Initiatives and Curatorial Departments and are installed for approximately three months at a time. Applications are accepted and evaluated on a rolling basis and should include 1) a brief written proposal including the exhibition’s objectives, main themes, and connection to faculty’s research and/or teaching, 2) a checklist of desired artworks, and 3) a budget including potential outside funding sources. We prioritize proposals that utilize the collection of the Nasher Museum, that can serve as excellent teaching opportunities, and that we receive two years or more before the intended opening date. Please keep in mind that scheduling is dependent on the availability of the gallery.

Please contact Julia K. McHugh, Ph.D., Trent A. Carmichael Curator of Academic Initiatives, at julia.mchugh@duke.edu to discuss an idea for an exhibition or to submit an application.

Silvia Heyden: Weaving Notes & Nature brings Silvia Heyden’s work to Duke, 54 years after her first solo exhibition at the Duke University Museum of Art. Featuring several of the same works shown in that early exhibition, the presentation at the Nasher highlights her experimental pieces from the 1960s and 70s, traces the evolution of her bold techniques, and celebrates the lasting influence of the Durham community on her art. Today, her tapestries continue to resonate — each thread a quiet expression of hope and a belief in the power of music and nature to inspire and transform.

Silvia Heyden: Weaving Notes & Nature was created through the Curatorial Practicum: Development and Design course, taught by Dr. Julia McHugh, Trent A. Carmichael Director of Academic Initiatives and Curator of Art of the Americas at the Nasher Museum of Art. Student curators include Isatou Fall (UNC-Greensboro ’27), Duke undergraduates Cristina Mitchell T’25, Nina Venter T’26, Aviv Yochai T’25, and Lydia Yi, Ph.D. student in Art History. Research assistance was provided by Klein Voorhees.

Silvia Heyden (1927–2015) saw weaving as a form of music. Trained first as a violinist, she brought a deep sense of rhythm, movement, and improvisation to the loom, creating more than 800 tapestries over her lifetime. For Heyden, thread and color were not static materials. They were alive, capable of expressing emotion, sound, and the natural world.

Born in Switzerland, Heyden studied in the Bauhaus tradition, a Modernist movement that emphasized bold color, strong design, and the unity of art and craft. While grounded in this training, she quickly developed her own distinctive style. Rather than following strict patterns, she embraced experimentation and spontaneity, allowing her weavings to respond intuitively to her surroundings.

After moving to Durham, North Carolina in 1966, Heyden found new inspiration in the landscapes of the American Southeast. Rivers, forests, and beaches—especially the nearby Eno River—became central to her work. She wove tapestries that swell, open, and shift, intentionally revealing the underlying structure of the loom. These moments expose the “warp,” the grid beneath the surface, and give her textiles a sense of movement and breath.