Emerging Documentary Artists

Emerging Documentary Artists were part of CDS's Documentary Diversity Project, which was active 2017–2020.

Emerging Documentary Artists, part of CDS’s Documentary Diversity Project (DDP), are local young people, ages 18 to 24, from groups underrepresented in the documentary field—including Black, Latinx, Native American (American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian), Asian or Asian American, Pacific Islander, Puerto Rican, and Middle Eastern/North African.

These young artists, selected from applicants who at the time were not in school or employed full-time, served in full-time eighteen-month residencies at CDS and were paid a living wage with health benefits. They had access to Duke University and CDS resources and programs as well as one-on-one mentoring with a variety of successful documentary makers, educators, and other professionals. Emerging Documentary Artists worked alongside CDS faculty, staff, and artists to explore and develop their skills in audio, photography, writing, film, and/or other documentary mediums. They participated in program activities (workshops, conferences, classes, trips, etc.) to further develop and encourage community connections and their own artistic voices, while planning and working on their documentary arts projects and interacting with local and national mentors. These artists engaged in peer mentorship, presented their projects to the larger community, and received support as they planned for their next steps (within the documentary arts or otherwise).