A group of 15 Durham teen-agers, all of whom dropped out of high school, will present writing inspired by African-American art now on display at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.
The students will read poems and short essays at a public event at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at the museum.
The students are working toward their high school equivalency diplomas through the Durham Literacy Center's Teen Career Academy. Last month, they visited the exhibition, "Something All Our Own: The Grant Hill Collection of African American Art," at the Nasher Museum. They were accompanied by 12 Duke students who tutor them as part of the "Durham Through the Lens of Literacy" class. The course is co-taught by Lucy Haagen, adjunct lecturer in Duke's Program in Education, and Sy Mauskopf, professor of history.
They looked at works of art by Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Jonathan Biggers and others, among the most important African-American artists of the 20th century. They were asked to respond to the works with their own writing on the theme of "dreams."
"It was our students' idea to bring the teens to the Nasher Museum to try to motivate them to write," Mauskopf said. "Within a few minutes, they got together in small groups, talking about the art and getting out their notebooks to write."
The class, offered through Duke's Program in Education, is a service learning course that partners Duke students with the Durham Literacy Center. Duke students spend about two hours each week tutoring 21 students who are part of the center's Teen Career Academy, which supports former high school students working toward their GEDs.
The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University
The $24 million Nasher Museum of Art, designed by Rafael Vinoly, is located at 2001 Campus Drive at Anderson Street. The museum, which opened Oct. 2, 2005, also includes a cafe and gift store.
The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday; and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum is closed Mondays. Suggested admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and members of the Duke Alumni Association, $3 for non-Duke students with I.D., and free for children 16 and younger. Admission is free to Duke students, faculty and staff with Duke I.D. Admission is free to museum members. Admission is also free to Durham residents who present a valid I.D. with proof of residency, courtesy of The Herald-Sun.
Nasher Museum exhibitions and programs are supported by the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, Mary D.B.T. and the late James H. Semans, The Duke Endowment, the Nancy Hanks Endowment, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost, Duke University, and the Friends of the Nasher Museum of Art.