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Indenture of Trust
Governed by a board of trustees, Endowment staff conduct grantmaking according to guidelines in Mr. Duke's original Indenture of Trust (pdf), a legal document that remains relevant and timely after nearly 100 years.
Ayr Mount
The landscape surrounding Ayr Mount, a Federal-era plantation house built in 1815 in Hillsborough, N.C., served as the inspiration for this oil on linen painting. John Beerman’s poetic interpretation of the scenery is a symbolic evocation of the meditative and spiritual power of nature.
Bienvenue to the Carolina Chorus of Good Tidings, Panel 1 and Panel 2
Inspired by the vegetation flanking the Semans Conference Center, Sheila Hicks designed the texture of each panel to evoke the sensation of passing through a forest with light entering from both sides. The vertical lines suggest the abbreviated forms of trees and other vegetation, as if viewed while driving through a forested area.
James B. Duke — Statue
The Duke Endowment commissioned the original bronze statue of James B. Duke in 1934 as a gift to Duke University. The sculptor, Charles Keck, chose a pensive pose, with Mr. Duke holding a walking stick in his right hand and the ever-present cigar in his left.
Veronica’s Veil CXCVII and CCXVIII
Born in Raleigh, N.C., Herb Jackson is intrigued with the mysticism represented by the medieval myth of St. Veronica, who wiped Christ’s face as he carried his cross, leaving his image on her veil. He applies paint mixed with pumice in many layers, which he then scrapes off to allow shapes and marks to come and go.
Mother Image/Father Image
Born in St. Stephen, S.C., Leo Twiggs has won international recognition and numerous awards for his work. In Mother Image/Father Image, Twiggs explains that the mother and father are separate to suggest their different roles.
Merry Falls
Julyan Davis’ oil on canvas painting connects us to James B. Duke’s advancement of hydroelectric power in the Carolinas. His early autumnal depiction of this waterfall, located near Brevard, North Carolina, captures the energy inherent in the cascading water as well as the subtle variances in the surface of the rock.
Cedar Grove United Methodist Church & Rhems United Methodist Church
A native of South Carolina, Edward Rice is known for his evocative depictions of place. The churches portrayed in these oil paintings were chosen as subjects both for their beauty and as examples of the congregational outreach that takes place. Rhems reflects the Colonial Revival style while Cedar Grove is a more stout Gothic Revival building.
Mountain Church
Eugene Healan Thomason aspired to be an artist at an early age and, after completing a portrait of Mr. Duke, the philanthropist supported his academic training. Eugene later moved to the North Carolina mountains, where he painted everyday life in Appalachia. Mountain Church, an oil on canvas, is one of his more narrative treatments.
Comings and Goings
This acrylic on canvas painting by Maud Gatewood, one of North Carolina's most important 20th century artists, was inspired by the hustle and bustle of a North Carolina college campus on a wet autumn day. Her paintings have been exhibited throughout the Southeast and have received many awards.
Celebrating Our Social Workers During National Social Work Month
March is National Social Work Month. Tamika Williams, associate director of The Duke Endowment’s Child and Family Well-Being program area, reflects on her early days as a child protective services social worker.
Evaluation of Efforts to Center Racial Equity in COVID-19 Grantmaking
This report from Creative Research Solutions evaluates the Endowment's effort to center racial equity in its grantmaking response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
