Duke University. Dept. of Art and Art History.

The formal study of art at Duke University began with the establishment of the Dept. of Aesthetics, Art, and Music in 1942. The department was renamed the Dept. of Art in the 1959/1960 academic year, and later renamed the Dept. of Art and Art History in 1985/1986. The Department has two distinct units, one primarily devoted to the making of works of art, the other primarily devoted to the historical understanding and current interpretation of visual images and constructed space.

The formal study of art at Duke began with the establishment of the Dept. of Aesthetics, Art, and Music in 1942, with Prof. Katherine E. Gilbert as chair. The department was renamed the Dept. of Art in the 1959/1960 academic year, and later renamed the Dept. of Art and Art History in 1985/1986.

In 2005, the Dept. of Art and Art History provided the following description of its mission: "The Department of Art & Art History, as its name implies, has two distinct yet profoundly complementary units, one primarily devoted to the making of works of art, the other primarily devoted to the historical understanding and current interpretation of visual images and constructed space ... Since 1986, the Department broadened its perspective by introducing courses in theory, methodology, and criticism; by attracting faculty specialists in African and African Diaspora, East Asian, and Latin American art histories in addition to ... European and North American art, from ancient times to [the] contemporary world; and by interacting through interdisciplinary teaching, collaborative research and symposia with other departments and programs, such as African and African-American Studies, Economics, English, Women's Studies, the Center for Documentary Studies and the Center for French and Francophone Studies." [http://www.duke.edu/web/art/welcome.html]