Master of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Arts collection, 2012-2025

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Using These Materials

Restrictions:
Access restricted. Materials in Kaley Clements thesis are restricted due to sensitive content until 2048. Access note. Magic lantern apparatus (Mao Wei thesis) can only be used with supervision by...
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Summary

Creator:
Duke University. Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies and Archive of Documentary Arts (Duke University)
Abstract:
The Master of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Art degree program at Duke University has been awarded since 2013. This collection houses MFA/EDA theses submitted by graduates of the program, in the form of typescripts; handmade books; digital video, audio, and image files; three-dimensional artwork; photobooks; photographic prints; and film of multimedia performances. Subjects range widely and include: U.S. and Southern cultures; world cultures; street photography; childhood and family relationships; health; environmental narratives and documentaries; city and rural communities; themes of social justice, memory, and identity; women and spirituality; and abstract constructs. Loctions include but are not limted to China, Poland, Vietnam, and the Middle East. Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts.
Extent:
46 Linear Feet
1029 Gigabytes
Language:
Materials chiefly in English; some materials in Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Polish, Spanish, Vietnamese, or Yiddish.
Collection ID:
RL.11067

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains master's theses (both written and creative) submitted each year by graduates of Duke University's Master of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Arts program (MFA/EDA). Written theses can exist in paper or electronic form, with many including handmade books or digital audio or video files. Creative portfolios can include three-dimensional artwork or artifacts (including one large magic lantern apparatus); photobooks; color and black-and-white photographic prints in varying sizes; digital image, audio, and video files; and photos and recordings of multimedia performances and exhibit installations.

Themes range widely and include: US and Southern cultures; cultures around the world; street photography; childhood and family relationships; environmental narratives and documentaries; health; city and rural communities; social justice, memory, segregation, and identity; women and spirituality; and abstract constructs. Most projects are based in the US but some focus elsewhere, such as China, Vietnam, Poland, and the Middle East.

Most authors contributed both creative and written theses, but some elected to only contribute one. Artist-provided biographies, abstracts, and artists' statements are included when available. Participation in this archival project is voluntary, meaning that this collection cannot be considered representative of every single program graduate.

Biographical / historical:

First awarded during the 2012-2013 academic year, the Master of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Art degree program at Duke University "brings together two forms of artistic activity--the documentary approach and experimental production in analog, digital, and computational media--in a unique program that fosters collaborations across disciplines and media."

"The philosophy of the program is guided by a belief in the intersection of personal artistic work with interpretive knowledge and of the relevance of the individual documentary or experimental artist within the cultural history and life of communities. A key component to the program is the notion of creative engagement through the arts and the role of the artist in society. Graduates are expected to generate work that has impact both within and outside the academy."

Acquisition information:
The Master of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Arts collection was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library as a transfer in 2015 and as gifts from 2016-2025.
Processing information:

Processed by Beth Morris Weiss, November 2015; Meghan Lyon, Matthew Farrell, Paula Jeannet, and Rachel Jessen, 2016-2023; Lisa Duncan, September 2024; and Tere Elizalde, July 2025.

Addition 2016-0011 processed by Paula Jeannet and Leslie Hayes. Addition 2016-0120 processed by Meghan Lyon, Matthew Farrell, and Paula Jeannet. Additions 2016-0309, 2016-0314, and 2016-0324 processed by Matthew Farrell and Paula Jeannet. Addition 2017-0081 processed by Matthew Farrell and Paula Jeannet, July 2017. Addition 2018-0052 processed by Matthew Farrell and Paula Jeannet, June 2018. Addition 2019-0063 processed by Matthew Farrell, Paula Jeannet, and Rachel Jessen, June 2019. Addition 2021-0007 processed by Matthew Farrell and Paula Jeannet, November 2021. Addition 2022-0106 processed by Matthew Farrell and Paula Jeannet, December 2022. Addition 2023-0129 processed by Matthew Farrell and Paula Jeannet, November 2023. Addition 2024-0068 processed by Matthew Farrell and Lisa Duncan, May 2024. Addition 2024-0099 processed by Lisa Duncan, September 2024. Addition 2025-0072 processed by Tere Elizalde, July 2025.

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2015-0070, 2016-0011, 2016-0120, 2016-0309, 2016-0314, 2016-0324, 2017-0081, 2018-0052, 2019-0063, 2021-0007, 2022-0106, 2023-0129, 2024-0068, 2024-0099, and 2025-0072.

Arrangement:

The Master of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Arts collection is arranged into Written Theses and Creative Theses by program year.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Access restricted. Materials in Kaley Clements thesis are restricted due to sensitive content until 2048.

Access note. Magic lantern apparatus (Mao Wei thesis) can only be used with supervision by a library staff member. There is a digital video file available in the collection, showing the apparatus in motion and explaining its operation.

Access restricted. Some donors have outlined specific access restrictions regarding the use of their work.

Access note. Some materials in this collection are fragile audiovisual/photographic formats that may need to be reformatted before use.

Access note. Some materials in this collection are electronic records that require special equipment.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Master of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Arts collection, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1m35s