DOCUMENT

WINTER 2020 | THE CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES AT DUKE UNIVERSITY

Photography, film/video, writing, audio, experimental and new media—in-depth real-life stories in any and all mediums bridge differences, foster empathy, and reveal truths that transform perspectives, and lives.

That’s why the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) provides cutting-edge learning experiences and supports documentary artists in their creative projects. In our print and digital publication, Document, we tell stories about who we are and what we do. This issue features four teachers and artists who exemplify our belief that the documentary arts can help change the world, along with 2019 highlights and a sampling of what we’re anticipating in 2020. Take a look, come visit, be in touch.

—Wesley Hogan, CDS Director

Educate.

CDS is an Educational Center that strives to bring the documentary artist out in everyone, regardless of age or experience level. We teach people the skills and ethics necessary to create and honor nonfiction stories of all kinds.

“My students learn to listen to, bear witness to, and record people’s stories. I tell them that those are sacred moments, when someone offers you their memories.”

—Michelle Lanier, oral historian, folklorist, CDS undergraduate and continuing education instructor. Michelle makes connections around personal narratives and cultural expression and “helps makers birth films.” She was executive producer of Mossville, whose many awards include the 2019 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival’s Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights.

“I have the great fortune of teaching a new generation of documentarians, who bring fresh eyes and perspectives to the way we see and experience our world.”

—Bill Bamberger, documentary photographer, CDS undergraduate instructor. Bill creates, publishes, and exhibits his acclaimed photo work nationally. His HOOPS exhibition ran for most of 2019 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., showcasing his fifteen-year project documenting private and community basketball courts from all over the world.

Activate.

CDS is a Creative Catalyst that supports documentary storytellers in any medium—from award-winning professionals to emerging artists—through sustained mentoring and networking, experimentation, the showcasing and promotion of work, funding, and more.

“Our podcast aims to reveal deeper—and timely—truths about who we are as Americans. No journalism I’ve ever done has drawn such a passionate reaction.”

—John Biewen, CDS audio director, undergraduate and continuing education instructor, host/producer of our podcast, Scene on Radio. The podcast has garnered a Peabody Award nomination, coverage in numerous national media outlets, and 5 million downloads. Its Seeing White series inspired an independent multi-artist exhibit that opened in 2019 and travels to Detroit this year.

“With CDS, the conversation never stops. People there support you and your voice and ideas—that’s so important in terms of continuing work and flourishing as an artist.”

—Kamal Badhey, visual arts educator, photographer in New York City. We have enduring ties to Kamal, who was mentored here as an exhibitions intern, received a CDS Hine Documentary Fellowship, trained and taught in our Literacy Through Photography initiative, and is teaching an online family archive class for our continuing education program.

CDS BY THE NUMBERS 2019

Undergraduate Education: 28 courses; 465 students enrolled

Continuing Education: 90 onsite and online courses; 480 students enrolled

MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts: 9 graduates Fellowships and Residencies: 8 Exhibitions: 5 exhibitions in 4 galleries

Full Frame Documentary Film Festival: 80 films screened to 10,000+ attendees

Documentary Diversity Project: 4 Emerging Documentary Artists; 1 Post-MFA Fellow Audio: 2M+ downloads for Scene on Radio podcast

Awards: 21 artists supported

Books: 2 artists published

LOOKING FORWARD TO… 2020

Scene on Radio Season 4

23rd Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Annual Documentary Essay and Lange-Taylor Prizes

Audio Under the Stars Events

Summer Doc Intensives Full Frame Road Show Road Through Midnight Book with UNC Press

Spring Visiting Professor Von Diaz

Celebrating Our 30th Anniversary

The Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) is a nonprofit education and arts organization affiliated with Duke University. CDS values and promotes work that cultivates progressive change by amplifying voices, advancing human dignity, engendering respect among individuals, breaking down barriers to understanding, and illuminating social injustices.

General questions: docstudies@duke.edu Make a gift: Mike Gulley, (919) 660-3669 or Michael.Gulley@duke.edu

Most programs at CDS, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, receive no financial support from Duke University.

documentarystudies.duke.edu