Scholars@Duke

Thea Ballard is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in art history, studying contemporary art with a focus on sound, affect, and sonic relational aesthetics. Her dissertation is titled "The Song Between Voices: Conversation, Intimacy, and the Sound of Relation in American Contemporary Art." She received a BA in American Studies from Vassar College in 2013. Her art and music criticism has appeared in publications including Artforum , Art in America , Modern Painters , Affidavit , Pitchfork , the Brooklyn Rail , the Fader , Momus , ArtReview , unbag ,  the Nation,  and Dis.  She has contributed to exhibition catalogues for Israel Lund and John Akomfrah. Her advisor is Dr. Kristine Stiles, Frances Family Distinguished Professor of Art, Art History & Visual Studies.