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7 Free Events to Celebrate Start of Academic Year

Employees and students can attend these programs at Duke and in Durham

Among many activities kicking off the academic year, Duke community members can visit the Nasher Museum of Art to meet artist Richard Mosse, who will give a talk about his work on view, The Enclave, a 40-minute, six-channel video installation shot in eas
Among many activities kicking off the academic year, Duke community members can visit the Nasher Museum of Art to meet artist Richard Mosse, who will give a talk about his work on view, The Enclave, a 40-minute, six-channel video installation shot in eastern Congo. Photo courtesy of Nasher Museum of Art.
By Bryan Roth

Summer won’t technically be over for another month, but campus’ seasonal break will be coming to a close next week as students return for a new academic year. With their return, campus will also welcome a TV host, renowned artist and dinosaurs.

At a time when campus celebrates the start of the academic year, all Duke community members are invited to come together to share the camaraderie and fun of a new school year. Working@Duke can help you mark the occasion with several free events open to the Duke community.

Aug. 21 – Closing Reception of Durham County Photos5 p.m.Power Plant Gallery at the American Tobacco Campus

Over the past decade, mobile phone photography has become the most pervasive photographic activity the world over. The “Phone Home Durham” exhibition invited mobile phone photographers from all walks of life to submit images of Durham County taken with mobile phone cameras or other hand held devices. All photographs on display will be archived at the Rubenstein Library at Duke University when the exhibit. 

See exhibit page for more information.

Aug. 22 – Speech by MSNBC Host Melissa Harris-Perry7:30 p.m.Page Auditorium with simulcast in Griffith Theatre

Duke alum and MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry will conclude first-year student orientation week with a presentation to the Duke community on the topic of leadership and ethics. In addition to Page Auditorium and Griffith Theatre, the event will also be live-streamed online.

Aug. 26 – Watch a Movie on East Campus9 p.m.East Campus Quad

A welcome event for first-year students is also open to all Duke community members, who can bring a lawn chair or blanket to enjoy an outdoor screening of the original Jurassic Park.

See event page for more details. 

Aug. 27 – International House Welcome Back Party5 p.m.International House 

Staff from Duke’s International House will host Duke community members from near and far at their annual welcome party. Light food and drinks will be served as students and employees are encouraged to make new friends and find out about the International House’s “Connect. Learn. Grow.” series, a 10-week workshop to offer faculty, staff and students a deeper level of information about being a global citizen.

Learn more about International House programming on their website. 

Aug. 27 – Meet Artist Richard Mosse7 p.m.Nasher Museum of Art

Visitors have the chance to hear from and meet artist Richard Mosse, who will give a talk about his work on view, The Enclave, a 40-minute, six-channel video installation shot in eastern Congo. Students and employees will also be able to explore “The New Galleries: A Collection Come to Light,” a comprehensive and dynamic reinstallation of the museum’s historical collection. The eight new galleries are dedicated to specific collection areas highlighting many of the museum’s masterworks while illustrating a history of human creativity.

See the Nasher website for more information.

Aug. 28 – Audio Under the Stars8 p.m.Center for Documentary Studies

Part of a series of free community listening parties, August’s event uses the theme of “Alternative Love Stories.” Artists will share their answers to questions like "What if the person, place or thing that sets your heart strings strumming also sets you apart in some way? What if your Happily Ever After wasn't?”

See event page for more details.

Aug. 29 – Free Jazz at Baldwin8 p.m.Baldwin Auditorium 

John Brown, director of Jazz Studies at Duke, honors the life and music of saxophonist and composer Paul Jeffrey by presenting a concert of his arrangements. Jeffrey came to Duke in 1983, where he served as director of Jazz Studies until his retirement in 2003. Jeffrey built up the jazz program during his time at Duke, mentoring a number of students who have become notable jazz musicians, including Todd Bashore (T'95, alto sax), Jeb Patton (T'96, piano) and Geoff Burke (T'99, tenor sax).

See even page for more details.

Want to find even more events? Check out the Duke Events Calendar and visit Duke Today at the start of each month beginning in September for our “Five Free, Fun Things at Duke” series.