Call for Work

The Icon Industry:
The Visual Economy of Human Rights

Deadline for Submissions:  October 16, 2013
Opening: November 4, 2013

The Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University is seeking works of art—in all visual mediums—for a fall exhibit: The Icon Industry: The Visual Economy of Human Rights. The call for work is open to all graduate and undergraduate students.

The term “visual economy” in art is commonly defined as a minimalist approach. But, what happens when this search for simplicity becomes a standard for representation of human rights? Often one iconic image comes to define events, groups or issues, boiling down the complexity into a singular representation that we grab onto as the “right” image. For example, how has the 1984 National Geographic cover image photographed by Steve McCurry of then-refugee Sharbat Gula, known as “the Afghan girl” come to represent—even today in Western culture—a population of Afghan women? It is arguably one of the iconic images of the 20^th century, forever referential.

This exhibit asks artists to explore, critique, and/or celebrate the notion of the iconic image in human rights issues as seen in our news media. Artists are encouraged to approach the work through a sense of awareness, examining the role of the image, creation of icons, the role of the image subject as a human rights agent and as a symbol, the use of simplicity in visual communication and/or our image obsession. Repurposing iconic and other images depicting human rights subjects/issues is allowed and encouraged in the debate, but respect must be given to the subject of the image. Further, artists are asked to consider how their work contributes to the continued dialog overall. This exhibit aims to call awareness, and in doing so create a space for reflection on our current state of visual rhetoric, but also look forward to a more engaged public in the ethics of representation.

Submissions and questions should be emailed to:
caitlin.kelly@duke.edu
Caitlin Margaret Kelly
2013-2014 Kenan Graduate Arts Fellow

As the academic year has come to a close, undergraduates in Kenan programs are trading classrooms for exciting new opportunities around the globe. The students in KIE’s DukeEngage: Dublin program will be learning about the immigrant experience in Ireland’s capital city through engagement with local communities and organizations. The two students in this year’s Kenan Summer Fellows program will be traveling to Greenland and Korea to delve into projects exploring ethical dimensions of globalization and adoption. In a new endeavor, Kenan is continuing its relationship with the World Food Programme in Nepal through a summer intern who will aid the WFP in evaluating the effectiveness of its educational and assistance programs. All of these students will be writing back to KIE throughout the summer with reflections on their experiences.

Check out the new hub for student engagement journals for easy access to current and past journals kept by students in various KIE programs, and stay tuned for incoming updates from our far-flung correspondents!

The Institute will begin offering a new fellowship for graduate students entering the second year of study with the MFAEDA program. Beginning in the 2013-2014 academic year, the fellow will engage throughout the year with KIE faculty, fellows, students and staff to strengthen programming and explore the way in which the visual arts creates an ethical dialogue. The fellowship will include curating an exhibit and opening event for the fall, engaging directly with undergraduate students, and acting as a jury member for Team Kenan’s annual What is Good Art? competition in the spring.

The fellowship will allow freedom to pursue the student’s interests and deepen his/her own work in addition to broadening KIE’s relationship with the visual arts.  The chosen fellow will receive a $5,000 yearly stipend and access to additional resources. For further information and application instructions, visit the Graduate Awards page.

All applications must be received by 5pm on June 30th, 2013. 

The Kenan Moral Purpose Award is given for the best undergraduate student essay on the role a liberal arts education plays in students’ exploration of the personal and social purposes by which to orient their future and the intellectual, emotional, and moral commitments that make for a full life. In partnership with the Parr Center for Ethics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, KIE provides the winning undergraduate from each school with a cash prize.

The winning Duke student is Joy Liu, a Trinity junior majoring in public policy and biology (pictured at right). Her essay “Ambition” discusses a pivotal trip to Africa, in which a friendship with a local youth transformed her motivations. The Carolina student chosen, Elizabeth Henderson, is a senior majoring in journalism and mass communication. In “On Open-Mindedness,” she discusses the ways in which her liberal arts education has taken her out of her comfort zone and instilled in her an intellectual curiosity.