I was walking through Duke's Perkins Library today and stumbled upon an interesting art exhibition.
It is small and understated and doesn't take more than a few minutes to check out. So if you're gliding through the Perkins lobby, you might stop for a moment.
It's titled "Inside Out: Through a Photographer's Lens," and is a collaboration between 20 Durham School of the Arts photography students and 12 Duke University students from a writing class.
There are six photo exhibits, a combination of black-and-white and color images, showing various views of our fair city. In large part, the goal seems to be to emphasize just how diverse and varied Durham is. Through one photographer's eyes, for example, Durham is represented by a graffiti-smeared bridge. To another, an illuminated evening photo of the American Tobacco campus represents this place, while to another set of eyes, Durham is represented by a sprawling and somewhat nondescript subdivision with identical manicured lawns and two-car garages.
A small notebook invites passersby to comment. From a quick glance, I glean that the most popular exhibit is titled "Cat Fight." It is three images of young women and reads in part: "A visual representation of female aggression as seen through the eyes of three high school girls."
Comments
Cultural diversity?! Durham
Fri, 07/18/2008 - 19:42 — Anonymous (not verified)Cultural diversity?! Durham is a cesspool on it's way to Hell in a hurry! The government, politicians, law enforcement, and gangs run the city, it is a Twilight Zone version of "Dukes Of Hazard Meets Serpico, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, and The Blair Witch Hunt!"
You cannot make this stuff up, and WILL be exposed!
Rhonda Fleming
Cleveland Ohio
Sister of Allen J Croft Jr, murdered in Durham May 11, 2005, and still unresolved and nobody punished, YET!
Yes! Cultural Diversity! ...in Durham!
Tue, 07/22/2008 - 16:14 — Anonymous (not verified)With respect to your feelings and your loss Ms. Fleming, you are quite wrong about Durham. In fact, Durham is a vibrant city with the most active and engaged community in the Triangle. The local government officials and the community dialogue on the issues facing this community in an open discussion which enables citizens to provide input and feedback on the governance of Durham. More importantly however, is the fact that Durham is a cultural oasis here in the Triangle. The cultural offerings of the Triangle are impressive, considering the size of the region; but Durham is truly the Culture Capital of NC because of the abundance of opportunities for cultural expression, appreciation, and growth. The Durham Bulls, the Bull Durham Blues Festival, the American Dance Festival, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, the Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, the historic Carolina Theatre, the brand new Durham Performing Arts Center, the public and community support of artistic expression, the diversity, the variety of free outdoor concerts, the Nasher Museum of Art, the North Carolina Museum of Life & Science, the Eno River Festival, the downtown revitalization, the annual Beerfest International Beer Festival, the historic "Black Wall Street" of Parrish Street, Duke University and North Carolina Central University, and many other lesser known cultural endeavors are all reasons that so many folks are saying that great things are happening in Durham. While I realize your personal history relative to Durham is characterized negatively, Durham is none of the things you say it is, and, in fact, is a bustling mini-metropolitan community with a thriving economy, a superb quality of life, and a positive attitude about our future. I urge you to reconsider your characterization of Durham and see the community beyond your prior personal experience. Everything happens somewhere and it is unfortunate that your brother was killed in Durham, but people die everywhere and everywhere is not as you describe Durham. Remember, GREAT things ARE happening in Durham!
The place looks fantastic,
Thu, 07/17/2008 - 04:45 — Granville guy (not verified)The place looks fantastic, bad, urban, rural, really beautiful in some areas, really bad in others. No one area seems to dominate. It's truly a highly diverse city. My favorite Triangle city by far.
How does Durham look to you?
Wed, 07/16/2008 - 16:53 — Chick (not verified)Looks pretty much like Raleigh with, perhaps, a little more cultural diversity.