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Florida State University’s College of Fine Arts and several of its departments are observing special anniversaries this academic year, and students, alumni and friends are invited to join the celebration at several upcoming events.

The performing and visual arts have been interwoven into FSU since 1886, when art was introduced as a foundational course for most areas of study. Art became a department in 1906, the first theatre production was staged in 1915, and dance classes began in 1933.

“This academic year, we celebrate several milestones in the arts at FSU, all of which symbolize the legitimization and professionalization of our fields,” said James Frazier, dean of the College of Fine Arts. “This is an opportunity to look back on where we’ve been, where we are today and where we’d like to be in the future. It is also an exciting opportunity to engage with so many people who have helped define the college over the years.”

In 1973, the School of Visual Arts and the School of Theatre were formed from existing components in arts and sciences and education, among others. In 1989, the Department of Dance joined the school and changed its name to the School of Visual Arts and Dance. In 2008, the two schools united to form the College of Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance, and in 2015, the school became the College of Fine Arts.

Today, the College of Fine Arts houses the departments of Art, Art Education, Art History, Interior Architecture and Design and schools of Dance and Theatre.

“FSU’s deep history as an institution where the humanities and arts have figured prominently from the beginning is embodied and is on wonderful display in our various programs,” Frazier said.

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SCHOOL OF DANCE

The School of Dance celebrates 90 years of dance classes at FSU and 60 years of dance degrees. This year also marks 20 years since the founding of the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, the first national center for choreography established and residing in a U.S. major Research 1 institution.

T.W.I.S.T.

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12

Alumna-founded company Adele Myers & Dancers takes the stage with a foot-stomping, heart-pounding new work at the Nancy Smith Fichter Dance Theatre. The production is part of the Opening Nights at FSU season and will include a talkback and dessert reception for special ticket holders. Visit openingnights.fsu.edu for tickets to this limited engagement.

PURCHASE TICKETS

School of Dance Alumni Week

Nov. 1-5

This week will include dance master classes for students with accomplished alumni and retired faculty. Alumni will take the stage on the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 4 to share their choreography and dance films.

Evening of Dance

Friday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 4

The School of Dance Alumni Week concludes with two Evening of Dance performances. Original works by lauded faculty – including Lynda Davis, Suzanne Farrell, Gerry Houlihan, Anthony Morgan, Nancy Smith Fichter and Dan Wagoner – have been restaged and set on a new generation of dancers.

PURCHASE TICKETS

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SCHOOL OF THEATRE

The School of Theatre, established in 1973, celebrates its 50th anniversary with a season of performances including “9 to 5: The Musical,” featuring a new score with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton. The show opens Friday, Oct. 13 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 22. The season continues at the school’s Lab Theatre, a unique black box space on Copeland Street across from the Turnbull Conference Center, with “Imogen Says Nothing.”

The season concludes in April with student-produced showings in a Fringe Festival at the Fine Arts Building and the Senior Showcase Fundraiser, when acting and music theater seniors preview their audition performances for guests. The event raises money to support the filmed showcase and live performance in New York City in May.

The school’s graduate acting program also celebrates 50 years as the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. The program was the start of a long history of FSU Arts in Sarasota, which includes graduate programs in art history and art education and the operation of the Ringling Museum and FSU Center for the Performing Arts.

The Conservatory will bring back alumni and local professionals to act alongside students in their 50th Anniversary Season, which kicks off with the Anton Chekov classic “Three Sisters” on Friday, Oct. 27. Sarasota residents and visitors to the Culture Coast can purchase tickets at asolorep.org.

PURCHASE TICKETS

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SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS

The Departments of Art, Art Education, Art History and Interior Architecture & Design will celebrate the golden anniversary throughout the year with guest lectures and engagements.

Alumni Week

Feb. 28 – March 2

Alumni and friends are invited back to campus for tours, studio visits and more, culminating in two signature events.

The cover of the first issue of “Anthanor,” an internationally distributed periodical of graduate student papers published by the Department of Art History and the Museum of Fine Arts. The Department of Art History celebrates the publication’s 40th anniversary this year.

Department of Interior Architecture and Design Anniversary Celebration

Saturday, March 2

Join us as FSU honors alumni who graduated in the first years of the program, retired and late faculty, the 2024 Alumni Award winners and more. The Department’s 7th Annual Career Fair for students will take place Friday, March 1, before the event.

Department of Art History’s 40th Annual Graduate Symposium

Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2

The symposium is hosted by the Department of Art History and is organized by graduate students from around the country. Students are invited to share their research and network with faculty and future colleagues. The keynote speaker is Richard J. Powell, John Spencer Bassett professor of art and art history at Duke University and a leading scholar of African American art and culture.

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FSU Museum of Fine Arts will host “50 Years of Collecting,” an exhibit from its permanent collection celebrating five decades of artwork for the enrichment of the University and Big Bend community. The show will highlight works by former faculty and alumni, as well as works donated by generous supporters of the museum. The exhibit will open in January and will remain open through the spring semester.

For more information, visit cfa.fsu.edu.

By: Anna Prentiss, Jamie Rager

 

At The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida State University students can gain career-building experience working in a variety of museum departments such as archives, collections, development, education, library, and a performing arts theater.

Helping to facilitate these student experiences is The Ringling’s Associate Director of Academic Affairs and Collections, Jay Boda.

Since 2000, the museum has been governed by Florida State University, making it one of the largest university art museums in the nation. This connection gives FSU students access to the 66-acre campus, which boasts more than 200,000 square-feet of galleries featuring eclectic collections ranging from antiquity to contemporary.

Boda supervises academic programs at The Ringling and oversees its program team consisting of archives, collections, education and library departments. Programs like the Department of Art History’s Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies Master of Arts and the specialized program in Museum Education and Visitor-Centered Curation offer courses and internships at The Ringling.

“The Ringling is a major asset to our university and our students, and Dr. Boda himself is an incredible asset,” said Lorenzo Pericolo, chair of the Department of Art History. “His dedication to our Art Education and Art History students is unmatched.”

After 20 years of service in the United States Air Force, Boda retired as a Master Sergeant and followed his passion for education in museums. In 2011, he started his museum career as a volunteer docent at the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Boda answered questions about his life and work.

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What is your role as a faculty member at The Ringling?

On the academic affairs side, I oversee the programs related to higher education, such as internships and fellowships. Internships at The Ringling are connected to FSU’s art history and art education programs. On the collections side, I oversee the program team consisting of archives, collections, education, and library departments. While it’s easy to put your blinders on and stick to your lane, I try to help staff to think bigger and look at how we can maximize opportunities for a performance or an exhibition. We need to think about how to leverage our strengths across all departments to create the best experience for the visitor.

What unique perspectives do you believe you bring to the position?

I am a retired Air Force Master Sergeant — I served for 20 years, and I think that provides a specific perspective on collaboration, teamwork and seeing the bigger picture. I also think being in the military instilled in me a sense of public service. I have worked in different types of museums since I finished my education and I’m happiest working in a public capacity.

I started at The Ringling mid-pandemic when programming was more limited. Now, I’ve been trying to expand our audience. For example, I’m working with veteran groups and student-veteran groups. We want to show veterans what we can offer and that museums include them, too. It comes back to fostering empathy and understanding between our communities.

 

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota.

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A gallery view in The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota. (Photo by Ron Blunt)

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How has your doctoral research through FSU’s Museum Education and Visitor-Centered Curation Program prepared you for your advancement in museum development

My doctoral research was specific to contentiousness in art museums. Art can elicit a lot of reactions from people. Sometimes it creates a sense of awe, sometimes it challenges and provokes us to question our values. Anyone in a museum who wears a badge and interacts with visitors speaks on behalf of the museum. I was curious as to how these museum professionals contend with gray-area topics.

FSU’s Museum Education and Visitor Centered Curation Program prepared me for what I do today because I try to instill a sense of empathy for the visitor within students and interns. We want to foster relevance and personal meaning for people who come into museums.

How do the classes you teach at The Ringling relate to FSU’s main campus?

I teach two graduate-level classes for the Department of Art History supporting the Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies Program (MCHS). Every student who starts at the MCHS program completes the first year of their master’s at FSU’s main campus in Tallahassee. After that first year, students have the option to take The Ringling Course. Here, they do a two-semester in-residence internship at The Ringling and take two graduate courses with me—one is on exhibition-making, the other on public programs.

What advice would you give FSU interns and students you work with?

Many students come into the internships with previous classroom experience in the museum or cultural heritage sector, so I try to operationalize what they’ve learned. My advice for students seeking careers in museums is that they need to show how they can positively impact the organizations they apply to. I assign skill-building tasks they can then include on a resume to demonstrate how they positively impacted The Ringling. Those hard skills are what a lot of employers need from early career professionals.  

For more information, visit ringling.org.