Democracy Day at Duke: October 28, 2022

We're excited to find the intersection of art and democracy, freedom of speech and activism.
Jack Fuchs, Duke Class of 2025

Democracy Day: October 28, 2022

The Nasher Museum and Duke Arts have teamed up with the student-run North Carolina Young People’s Alliance (NCYPA) and along with POLIS, DukeVotes, the Duke Student Wellness Center and others, to organize a campus-wide Democracy Day on Friday, October 28.

Bruce Davidson, Time of Change (detail), 1963–1965. Resin-coated print, 8 × 11 inches (20.32 × 27.94 cm). Anonymous gift, 2018.24.104. © Bruce Davidson.

Activities on Democracy Day: Friday, October 28, 2022

Activating the Democracy Wall in advance of Election Day. Photo by Wendy Hower.

Democracy Day will feature voter registration, organized walks to early-voting sites, educational programming and other activities related to civic engagement.

At the Nasher Museum, visitors are invited to help activate screen-printed posters with colored pencils, now through Election Day on November 8. We’ll add everyone’s posters to our interactive Democracy Wall.

Duke Arts and Duke Create will lead a printmaking workshop at the Rubenstein Arts Center, 2 – 4:30 PM.

Screenprinting on the BC Plaza

Duke Students came out in numbers to workshop screenprinting democracy and voting-themed prints on the Bryan Center Plaza

Students learned screenprinting at a pop-up workshop led by Duke Professor Bill Fick.

October 20 through November 5: Vote Early!

Voting-themed posters designed and screen printed by Duke Professor and master screenprinter Bill Fick — At the Nasher Museum, students are invited to use colored pencils and crayons to activate voting-themed posters designed and screen printed by Duke Professor and master screenprinter Bill Fick.

Students, faculty, staff and members of the community can register and vote early on the same day from October 20 to November 5 at Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center on Duke University Road, across the street from the Nasher Museum.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt is shown for the first time on the Mall in Washington DC. (Photo by LEE SNIDER / PHOTO IMAGES/Corbis via Getty Images)

What Does Democracy Mean to You?

We all have different ideas about democracy.

Maybe you grew up with a very political family. Or you might not have voted ever before. Did a person or place teach you about our collective right to vote?

We hope you will share your personal connection to democracy in the weeks leading up to the Midterm Elections.

Some contributed photos, like the photo above, will be screened in a slideshow at the Nasher Museum on Democracy Day. Others will be shared on social media channels by Duke Arts and the Nasher Museum.

Bruce Davidson, Time of Change, 1962. Gelatin silver print, 8 x 10 inches (20.3 x 25.4 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Anonymous gift, 2018.24.104. © Bruce Davidson.