Lauren Henschel Named Director of Programs at Duke Center for Documentary Studies

Lauren Henschel, a documentary artist and educator, has been named director of programs at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS).

Henschel’s connection to CDS runs deep. Her documentary filmmaking and installation practice grew out of her work at CDS as a Duke undergraduate and later as a graduate student in the MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts program. Her involvement has since spanned multiple roles — including teaching assistant, Lewis Hine Documentary Fellow, instructor, and program administrator — giving her a comprehensive understanding of CDS’s academic, creative, and public missions. 

CDS Director Chris Sims says, “Lauren’s perspective and deep experience as an artist and filmmaker will ensure that the needs of emerging and established documentary makers across disciplines continue to be heard as we move forward in strengthening our programs at CDS. I’m delighted to welcome Lauren to CDS in this new role.” 

Henschel began serving as director of programs on May 11, at a moment of renewed momentum at CDS. This summer includes the launch of 12 Continuing Education courses and free events, the welcoming of 12 undergraduates working in the Doc+ program, and the exhibition Til Íslands, on view beginning June 10 with an opening reception on June 12. 

In her new role Henschel will guide CDS’s broad portfolio of public-facing documentary initiatives and shape its artistic and intellectual direction. She will connect efforts across CDS’s Continuing Education, exhibitions, artist residencies, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Doc+, and community engagement. Working closely with CDS leadership, faculty, staff, and students, she will also support external partnerships and fundraising.

“CDS has been an incredibly meaningful part of my life for many years,” says Henschel. “As a student, artist, educator and administrator, I've experienced firsthand the ways this institution brings people together through documentary practice. It has shaped how I think about creativity, collaboration, and public engagement, and I’m honored to help guide its future.

“I see tremendous potential in strengthening the relationships between our programs and creating new pathways for learning, artistic experimentation, and public dialogue,” she adds. “Documentary has the power to help us better understand ourselves, one another and the world around us. I look forward to working alongside our faculty, staff, students, artists, and supporters to expand access to documentary practice and ensure CDS remains a vital home for creative inquiry, storytelling, and ethical engagement.”

Lauren brings the creativity, vision, and community-minded leadership needed to further the legacy of this remarkable institution.

CDS is part of a vibrant arts ecosystem at Duke, in Durham, and beyond. Deborah F. Rutter, vice provost for the arts, says, “Lauren brings the creativity, vision, and community-minded leadership needed to further the legacy of this remarkable institution. I look forward to seeing how she strengthens CDS’s role as a hub for artistic education and public engagement.”

Lauren Henschel is an experimental documentary artist whose hand-processed 16mm films use organic materials and alternative processes to explore transformation, embodiment, memory, and the relationship between human and ecological systems. Her work has been exhibited at Carnegie Hall, the Pérez Art Museum Miami, and film festivals worldwide. At Duke, she has taught undergraduate classes for the Department of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, CDS, and History. She developed ways in her courses to integrate documentary production into the wider humanities curricula at Duke, framing creative practice as a mode of research, ethical inquiry, and public scholarship. Henschel earned the praise of students alongside multiple recognitions of her teaching excellence and innovation.

She earned a BA in Visual Media Studies from Duke University, along with a Certificate in Documentary Studies. After graduating, she founded a documentary production company and received grant support to produce her first film exploring the impact of immigration on families in Peru. She later earned her MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts. 

About CDS

The Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) teaches, produces, and presents documentary art across all mediums — photography, audio, film, writing, experimental, and new media. Created in 1989 through an endowment from the Lyndhurst Foundation, CDS was the first institution in the United States dedicated to documentary expression as a mode of inquiry and catalyst for social change. Now a university-wide center at Duke, CDS offers undergraduate education, exhibitions, screenings, talks, and a growing Continuing Education program for adult learners. The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, the largest public-facing program of CDS, is one of the world’s premier showcases for nonfiction cinema drawing an international mix of attendees to downtown Durham every spring. Sign up for our e-newsletter to get involved.