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FSU Museum of Fine Arts brings Irish contemporary art to Tallahassee

Florida State University’s Museum of Fine Arts (MoFA) presents a multidisciplinary exhibition that considers relationships between…

FSU Art Education summer camp provides valuable experience for future teachers

Florida State University’s Department of Art Education presents its annual summer camp program this June,…

FSU Art Education Department hosts Summer Art Camp for local youth

Florida State University’s Department of Art Education is currently hosting 120 young people from ages…

FSU Museum of Fine Arts brings Irish contemporary art to Tallahassee

BY: JAMIE RAGER , ANNA PRENTISS

A piece of artwork features a plant painted over a rich blue background.
Miriam de Búrca. “The Land Remembers for You.” 2018. Acrylic ink on watercolor paper. 12.5 inches x 9.5 inches. Image courtesy of Miriam de Búrca and Cristea Roberts Gallery.

Florida State University’s Museum of Fine Arts (MoFA) presents a multidisciplinary exhibition that considers relationships between people, language, land and sea through the work of 10 Irish artists.

Two people are holding up sticks on a beach
Siobhán Ní Dhuinnín and her father Pádraig Ó Duinnín in rehearsal for Bád Shiobhán (2021). Image courtesy of Siobhán Ní Dhuinnín.(Photo by Claire Keogh)

“Talamh agus Teanga: Land and Language in Contemporary Irish Art” will be on display from Jan. 25-May 18, with an opening reception from 6-8 p.m. Jan. 25. This exhibit comes as the Florida State Seminoles football team prepares to take its first-ever trip to Ireland this August for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

“I am a proud speaker of the Irish language, and I have enjoyed working with each of these artists and MoFA staff to bring this exhibit to MoFA,” said Kristin Dowell, curator and art history professor. “This is an opportunity for visitors to see work by leading artists within the field of contemporary Irish art, some of which is being exhibited for the first time in the U.S. I’m excited to share this celebration of Ireland’s language, art and culture with the Tallahassee community.”

Talamh agus Teanga (pronounced Tall-uv awe-gus tain-gah) means “Land and Language” and is a way for the community to see how artists engage the Irish language in contemporary creative practice to reflect on our interconnected worlds.

“This exhibit features a wide variety of work including visual art, dance and film –– there’s something for everyone,” said Michael Carrasco, interim director of the museum. “With two other exciting exhibits on display as well, including a show celebrating our 50th anniversary, there’s never been a better time to visit MoFA.”


A piece of art hangs in a gallery. This art is a sphere covered in all kinds of plants.
“Talamh agus Teanga: Land and Language in Contemporary Irish Art.” Installation view of Méadhbh O’Connor’s work, Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts, 2024. Courtesy of the artist. (Kelly Hendrickson)

Gathering artists who are both native speakers and learners of Irish, the exhibition explores the ethos of “fite fuaite,” the Irish phrase meaning “interwoven or inextricably connected,” through visual art, dance, film, installation and performance.

Artists featured in the exhibition are Kari Cahill, Ceara Conway, Liadin Cooke, Dorothy Cross, Miriam de Búrca, Katie Holten, Siobhán Ní Dhuinnín, Méadhbh O’Connor, Éimear O’Keane and Kathy Scott, director of The Trailblazery, a forum for Irish cultural activism.

The exhibit and opening reception are free and open to the public. Visitors can also explore “50 Years of Collecting,” a special exhibit highlighting the museum’s permanent collections, and “All Hands on Deck: 15 Years of Collaboration at Small Craft Advisory Press.”

On Feb. 8, the museum will host its second annual Roaming Art and Wine Tour. This fundraising event will offer a taste of all three of the museum’s current exhibits alongside curated wines from local downtown Tallahassee wine bar Poco Vino. Tickets start at $75 and are available online.

For more information and a full list of events coming to MoFA this spring, visit mofa.fsu.edu.


This project is sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture, the FSU Council on Research + Creativity, Culture Ireland, FSU’s Native American and Indigenous Studies Center, FSU’s Department of Art History and an Emigrant Support Programme Heritage Grant through the Government of Ireland’s Global Irish Program.  

Additional funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

 

FSU Art Education summer camp provides valuable experience for future teachers

A little girl holds up a blue abstract painting that she is working on. She smiles brightly as she displays the work for the photo.
Children create works of art under the guidance of graduate students during the department of Art Education’s summer art camp.

Two little girls display their abstract artwork. One on the left smiles proudly, the other has a shy expression.
Children create works of art under the guidance of graduate students during the department of Art Education’s summer art camp.

Florida State University’s Department of Art Education presents its annual summer camp program this June, welcoming 120 young people to campus where they will engage in independent, inquiry-driven artmaking.

The camp is held as part of a class for students of the department’s five-year direct-entry pathway program, which enables art education students to earn an accelerated master’s degree and become eligible for teacher certification. Graduate students will guide kids as they explore a range of mediums including sculpture, printmaking, mixed media collage and watercolor.

“We created this annual summer camp to ensure that our graduate students in the accelerated program still have the opportunity to put their lesson plans into practice with large groups of students from a variety of age groups,” said Sara Scott Shields, course instructor and chair of the Department of Art Education. “I’m so proud of the work our students put into this camp each year and of the positive impact we’re able to have on the community.”

Students participating in the pathway program create a series of lesson plans to teach during the camp and work closely with their classmates, Shields and two doctoral student advisers to pilot the activities and ensure they are well-suited for a variety of age groups.

Student Maile Santora’s planned activity, for example, will invite the campers to explore color gradients by choosing a color to mix with black and white and create with unorthodox materials like masking tape and bubble wrap. Later, the campers will cut and collage these textured papers to create “other worldly” creatures.

“This program allows us to gain important field experience with larger groups of children,” Santora said. “This class has given us the opportunity to plan and troubleshoot our lessons as a group and to differentiate them for different age groups and abilities.”


A young woman holds up bottles of paint and smiles, posing for a photo in a classroom full of children busily painting.
Graduate student Maile Santora distributes paint to students for an activity during the Department of Art Education’s summer art camp.

Thanks to world-class instruction and hands-on opportunities like this summer camp, students leave the pathway program ready to serve as art teachers throughout the state of Florida and beyond.

“As a more quiet, reserved student, I had a hard time in public school, so as an art teacher, I am hoping to create an environment where all students can thrive,” said pathway program student Michelle Zheng. “The pathway program is giving me the skills and experience I need to make that happen.”

For more information about the Department of Art Education’s direct-entry pathway program, visit ArtEd.fsu.edu/Programs.


A young woman leans in to help a child with a bright pink abstract painting.
Graduate student Michelle Zheng helps a student with an art project during the Department of Art Education’s summer art camp.