Students curate an exhibition of the work of Silvia Heyden, who made Durham her home for decades
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Isatou Fall observes Heyden’s Hurricane from 1969 in the Nasher Museum’s Study Storage classroom.
An exhibition at the Nasher Museum of Art showcases the experimental tapestries of artist and violinist Silvia Heyden, who made Durham her home for decades. The show brings her work back to campus more than 50 years after her first Duke exhibition and features pieces shaped by the music, landscapes and daily life that inspired her practice. Heyden died in 2015 at age 88.
After settling in Durham in 1966, Heyden created tapestries reflecting inspiration from landscapes of the American Southeast, particularly the Eno River.
The exhibition, Silvia Heyden:Weaving Notes & Nature, features several works originally shown in her first Duke exhibition 54 years ago, alongside experimental pieces from the 1960s and 70s. The exhibition aims to highlight the evolution of Heyden’s techniques while also honoring the impact of the Durham community on her artwork. It runs through June 7.
The Curating Process
The show was developed through the Curatorial Practicum: Exhibition Development and Design course, taught by Julia McHugh, Trent A. Carmichael Director of Academic Initiatives & Curator of Arts of the Americas. Over the past decade, the practicum has shaped the academic and professional trajectories of undergraduate and graduate students interested in museum work, offering hands-on training that “demystifies the curatorial process” and opens pathways into the field, said McHugh.
The course guides students through every stage of exhibition-making — from research and object selection to interpretation, design, and public programming. “The course has helped redefine what it means to learn curating within a university museum,” with the goal of inspiring a new generation of museum professionals, said McHugh.
As part of the curatorial process for Silvia Heyden: Weaving Notes & Nature, students conducted extensive hands-on research and site visits. The photos below show how students follow Heyden’s footsteps as they prepared for the exhibition:
Student curators visit Heyden’s favorite Eno River trail, where she walked daily and drew inspiration.
The students make decisions on checklist and gallery layout for the exhibition.
Student curators study and select Heyden’s preparatory studies for display.
Student curators visit the Triangle Weavers Guild, where they received a hands-on workshop in tapestry weaving and even got to work with Heyden’s original thread.
Student curators learn from Stacey Kirby, textile conservator, who repaired one of Heyden’s tapestries using Heyden’s original thread, gifted by her daughter.
