Make 2020 (Duke) History!

We’re at home, in our houses, apartments, and dorm rooms. Or, when we venture onto campus, we learn, work, and relax while masked and six feet apart. But in spite of the (social) distance between us, we can still find ways to join together and be creative!

The Duke University Archives invites our fellow Dukies, wherever you are, to recreate and reinterpret one of our historical Duke photographs. Recreated photos will be displayed online and in the library outside the Gothic Reading Room. You can also choose to add your photo to our growing Share Your COVID-19 Story collection !

How to participate:

Choose from one of the #make2020dukehistory photos from our Flickr site and recreate it. (See guidelines below.)

Send it to us via this submission form by Friday, October 23th at 11:59 PM.

At left: a ca. 1977 photo of caretaker Suzanne Lassiter holding a lemur at the Duke Primate Center, ca. 1977. At right: University Archivist Val Gillispie recreates the same photo with her cat, Barbecue Sauce.

Starting on Monday, November 2nd, all reinterpreted photos will be available for view on our Flickr site, on University Archives and Rubenstein Library social media, and in a slideshow outside the Gothic Reading Room at the Rubenstein Library. Duke Arts will also share the photos in its Duke Arts Weekly newsletter ( sign up here! ). And we’ll plan additional ways to share the photos across campus during the Spring 2021 semester.

One more thing: we want everyone in the Duke community to have comfortable and safe homes, particularly during this pandemic. Please also consider making a donation to Duke Mutual Aid or the Graduate & Professional Student Council Food Pantry to support those in our community who need it right now. (Donations are not required in order to submit a reinterpreted photo.)

Participation Guidelines:

Give your interpretive powers full rein by matching your recreation to your current experiences and sentiments or aim for faithfulness to the original–bring your creativity to this in any way you choose!

Remember that the photos you submit will be publicly displayed. Here’s the Duke Community Standard for quick reference.

Submitted photos must adhere to masking, social distancing, and other safety requirements outlined in the Duke Compact.

Don’t like any of the photos in the #make2020dukehistory photo pool? No problem! Choose any photo from our Flickr site —but your photo recreation must still abide by social distancing and masking requirements.

Have fun and ask the University Archives if you have any questions about the historical photos you’re working with!