The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University today announced its fall 2026 exhibition season, featuring major presentations that examine the enduring power of art to reflect, challenge, and shape society. Spanning early American history to contemporary global perspectives, the season explores democracy, citizenship, protest, and identity through exhibitions that invite visitors to consider who is represented in the nation’s founding ideals and how individuals and communities continue to advocate for change.
Highlights include The Declaration of Independence, presented as part of We the People: A Duke & Durham Initiative during the nation’s 250th anniversary; We the People, Nari Ward’s celebrated installation that reimagines the language of American democracy through community participation; and Turn the volume up!, a major contemporary exhibition exploring activism, resistance, and collective action. Together, these presentations create a conversation across time, from the promises articulated in the nation’s founding documents, to contemporary questions of belonging and citizenship, to the voices that continue to demand a more just and equitable future.
The season also introduces the inaugural Susan and Barkley L. Hendricks Artist Lecture, a new annual series established through a generous gift from Susan Hendricks in honor of celebrated portrait painter Barkley L. Hendricks. The event will feature artist and cultural icon Mickalene Thomas in conversation with Richard J. Powell, whose forthcoming book offers new perspectives on Black art and visual culture. Additionally, Andrea Carlson: A Constant Sky, an expansive survey of the acclaimed artist, will open in December.
FALL 2026 SCHEDULE Contemporary British Art July 18, 2026 – July 4, 2027 Comprised of work by multiple generations of artists, Contemporary British Art illustrates the vitality, ambition, and diversity of art-making approaches found in England today. Michael Armitage, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Michaela Yearwood-Dan, Thomas Houseago, and other emerging and established artists create fantastical worlds, address political subjects and current events, and explore more personal topics such as identity and intimacy. This small but diverse group underscores the Nasher Museum’s commitment to international contemporary art and represents some of the most dynamic artistic voices currently working in England.
Contemporary British Art is organized by Marshall N. Price, Chief Curator and Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.
Explosion! Bay Area Punk August 8, 2026 – January 3, 2027 In the late 1970s and early 1980s, artists in Northern California were inspired by the punk movement, an international phenomenon that offered an irreverent, anti-institutional, anti-capitalist, anarchical message. The budding Bay Area punk scene exploded after the legendary British band, the Sex Pistols, played in San Francisco in 1978. Music and art became deeply intertwined as artists formed bands and held pop-up art shows, venues hosted punk concerts, record labels produced albums, and punk played over the airwaves.
Explosion! Bay Area Punk captures the spirit of the era through art, music, and publications from the region. Politically inclined artists such as Randy Hussong and Bruce Glück made bitingly satirical prints and drawings. Selina Wintersteen and Eve Aschheim added their own irreverent takes to figurative and abstract painting. Multi-disciplinary artist Bruce Conner photographed the Mabuhay Gardens, ground zero for punk and new wave music. The works presented here capture the movement’s raw energy and demonstrate that punk is not merely an aesthetic, but an enduring attitude that persists today.
Explosion! Bay Area Punk is organized by Marshall N. Price, Chief Curator and Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. This exhibition is made possible by the Janine & J. Tomilson Hill Family Fund, the J. Horst & Ruth Mary Meyer Fund for the Nasher Museum, the Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Fund for Exhibitions, and the John & Anita Schwarz Family Endowment.
Turn the volume up! August 27, 2026 – July 11, 2027 Turn the volume up! is a timely exhibition about the power of ordinary people to create extraordinary change. Through works by artists, activists, and collectives spanning decades and continents, the exhibition traces how communities mobilize, organize, and advocate for justice. Featuring works by artists including Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems, Guerrilla Girls, Sam Durant, and Francis Alÿs, the exhibition highlights acts of resistance, solidarity, and civic engagement that continue to shape our world. As the United States marks its 250th anniversary during a midterm election year, Turn the volume up! invites visitors to consider how participation—whether through voting, protest, care, or collective action—remains central to building a more just society.
Turn the volume up! is organized by Xuxa Rodríguez, PhD, Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Curator of Contemporary Art, with support from Julianne Miao, Curatorial Associate. This exhibition is made possible by the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, the Janine & J. Tomilson Hill Family Fund, Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Fund for Exhibitions, the Frank Edward Hanscom Quasi Endowment, and the John & Anita Schwarz Family Endowment.
We the People August 27, 2026 – January 3, 2027 Presented in the Nasher’s Great Hall, Nari Ward’s We the People transforms one of the most recognizable phrases in American civic life into a powerful meditation on democracy, belonging, and participation. The monumental installation spells the words “We the People” using thousands of shoelaces, a humble material that carries traces of individual lives while collectively forming a statement about community and shared responsibility.
Created through Ward’s longstanding practice of repurposing everyday materials to uncover personal and social histories, the work invites reflection on who is included in the nation’s democratic ideals and how those ideals continue to evolve. Installed alongside the presentation of historic copies of the Declaration of Independence, We the People offers a contemporary perspective on the aspirations, contradictions, and possibilities embedded within America’s founding principles.
Nari Ward’s We the People is organized by the Nasher Museum of Art and is part of We the People: A Duke & Durham Initiative that marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence through a series of public events examining the nation’s evolving identity. Nari Ward’s We the People is on view at the Nasher Museum courtesy of the Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, London.
The Declaration of Independence September 24, 2026 – January 3, 2027 Marking the country’s 250th anniversary and as part of We the People: A Duke & Durham Initiative, the Nasher will present three important early copies of the Declaration of Independence. This foundational document announced separation from British colonial rule and further ignited the American Revolution. Printed versions of the Declaration were key in disseminating and reinforcing the country’s founding principles. These rarely seen engravings, dating between 1818 and 1823, articulate the aspiration and ideals of a young nation and offer an opportunity to critically reflect upon the message of this foundational document.
The Declaration of Independence is organized in collaboration with Duke Arts and the Nasher Museum of Art and is part of We the People: A Duke & Durham Initiative that marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence through a series of public events examining the nation’s evolving identity. Three historic copies of the Declaration of Independence are on loan from the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection. Leadership support for We the People has been generously provided by David M. Rubenstein.
Susan and Barkley L. Hendricks Artist Lecture October 1, 2026 The Nasher Museum has established the Susan and Barkley L. Hendricks Artist Lecture through a generous gift from Susan Hendricks, honoring the legacy of renowned portrait painter Barkley L. Hendricks. Designed to foster dialogue between artists, scholars, and the public, the annual series will bring influential contemporary artists to campus to discuss their work and its impact on culture and society. The inaugural lecture will take place on October 1, 2026, and feature acclaimed artist Mickalene Thomas in conversation with art historian Richard J. Powell, whose forthcoming book offers new perspectives on Black art and visual culture.
Andrea Carlson: A Constant Sky December 12, 2026 – June 27, 2027 Andrea Carlson: A Constant Sky is the first major museum survey of Andrea Carlson, featuring multilayered paintings and sculptures that challenge colonial narratives and ideas of ownership. Through intricate, vividly colored landscapes that combine text, cultural objects, and imagery, the artist explores power, possession, and the role of museums in shaping history.
Bringing together approximately 30 works spanning painting, drawing, and sculpture, the exhibition traces Carlson’s practice of rendering imagery that examines how histories are constructed, contested, and remembered. A descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe and European settlers, Carlson layers references to animals, artworks, and cultural belongings within richly imagined landscapes she describes as “inferred political space.” Newly commissioned sculptural works extend these themes, inviting visitors to consider ideas of access, refusal, and the ways museums shape relationships to colonization.
Andrea Carlson: A Constant Sky is organized by the Denver Art Museum. It is presented with generous support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Christensen Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS Colorado.
At the Nasher Museum this exhibition is made possible by the Trent A. Carmichael Exhibitions Fund, Wallace Fowlie Endowment, Frank Edward Hanscom Endowment, Prakash & Anjali Melwani Fund for the Nasher Museum of Art, J. Horst & Ruth Mary Meyer Fund for the Nasher Museum, Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Fund for Exhibitions, A. Courtney Shives Endowment, K. Brantley & Maxine E. Watson Endowment, and The Derek & Christen Wilson Fund for the Nasher Museum of Art.
About the Nasher Museum of Art The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University is a leading center for the arts in Durham, North Carolina, and a vital resource for both the Duke campus and the surrounding region. Designed by acclaimed architect Rafael Viñoly, the 65,000-square-foot museum has organized more than 125 cutting-edge exhibitions since its opening in 2005, many of which have traveled nationally and internationally. With a strong commitment to contemporary art, the Nasher’s collection emphasizes work by artists who have been historically underrepresented, reflecting its mission to shape a more inclusive art historical narrative. Deeply integrated into Duke’s academic life, the museum fosters interdisciplinary research, supports innovative teaching, and engages students and faculty in critical dialogue. The Nasher also welcomes broader audiences through vibrant community and K–12 programs, and has offered free admission to all visitors since 2022, thanks to the generosity of Jennifer McCracken New and Jason New. To date, more than 1.6 million people have experienced the museum’s exhibitions and programs. Guests can enjoy local fare at the Nasher Museum Café and shop art-inspired gifts at Parker & Otis. Learn more at nasher.duke.edu. #dukeuniversityart#nashermuseumart#sunstormfineartmagazine.com #fineartmagazineblog.blogspot.com#artprotestreview#artvoicenow#arthistoricalprotest | 
