The life’s work of one of America’s most decorated composers and a cornerstone of the Florida State University College of Music has found a permanent home in the nation’s capital. 

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1983, Marie Krafft Distinguished Professor of Composition and two-time FSU Alumnus, has donated her comprehensive personal archive to the Library of Congress. 

The collection was recently named one of the top five music acquisitions of 2025 by the Library’s Music Division, placing Zwilich’s legacy alongside titans of American music such as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and Stephen Sondheim. 

“The inclusion of Professor Zwilich’s archives in the Library of Congress is a magnificent tribute to a lifetime of musical innovation and excellence,” said Todd Queen, dean of the College of Music. “As both a legendary alumna and a devoted faculty member, her legacy continues to be a guiding light for the next generation of composers here at Florida State.” 

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The Florida State University Department of Art and Museum of Fine Arts will open an exhibition this April showcasing the work of the department’s ten graduating MFA studio art students. “Decentered Reframed” offers a collection of contemporary artworks spanning installation, sculpture, print, video and performance projects.

The exhibition represents the professional debut of these artists following their time in the Department of Art’s MFA in studio art. As an intensive three-year program, it is designed to offer the students the discipline, training and artistic understanding required for life as a practicing artist and professional.

“In my 13 years at FSU, I have witnessed the evolution of our Studio Art MFA program and its students’ culminating exhibitions,” said Rob Duarte, associate professor and director of the graduate program. “The work in this year’s show represents some of the most thoughtful, considered and engaging artwork that has been produced through our program. The artists have worked extraordinarily hard to arrive at this point, and I can’t wait to share in this final celebration of their efforts as MFA candidates.”

The show highlights the growth and development of these featured artists throughout the three-year MFA program. In this collaborative exhibition, Alexia Benavent-Rivera, Ysabel Flores, Hannah Glaser, Moey Hewitt, Kea Kamiya, Amarachi Odimba, Keilicia Parker, Kyle Smith, J Woltz and Jay Yue each examine the power structures that shape our culture, environment and relationships.

The exhibit will run from April 10 through May 2, with an opening reception April 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The artists also invite the public to a meet-and-greet followed by a series of artist talks from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at the Museum of Fine Arts. Additionally, there will be artist-led workshops available to the public.

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The Florida State University School of Dance will launch a one-of-a-kind certificate program this fall, providing formal training for musicians interested in working in the dance field.

Created in partnership with the College of Music, the new Dance Accompanying Certificate is designed to develop the skills, experience and musical adaptability needed to work alongside performers and choreographers in academic institutions, conservatories and professional studios.

“This certificate offers students a rare hands-on opportunity to develop both the musical and collaborative skills needed to work with dancers,” said Daniel Smith, School of Dance assistant professor and director of the certificate program. “Dance accompanying is a sophisticated musical practice that requires creativity, artistic awareness and a deep sensitivity to movement.”

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Students at Florida State University fused human creativity with modern technology during a recent 24-hour Create-a-thon. The design sprint, hosted by FSU’s Innovation Hub, challenged participants to celebrate Tallahassee’s community spirit by building interactive experiences that cultivate a lasting sense of belonging and connection.

The event served as a feature of the 2026 Festival of the Creative Arts (FCA), an initiative led by the FSU Office of Research that highlights the voices and talents of students and faculty across the university.

“Events like this Create-a-thon provide our students with a space where creativity is the primary driver of discovery,” said Ken Baldauf, founding director of the Innovation Hub. “When we bring together dancers, engineers, musicians, writers and scientists, we aren’t just making art, we are developing a universal language for problem solving that leverages the latest technologies.”

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Florida State University’s Department of Classics recently celebrated a banner night at the Archaeological Institute of America’s (AIA) Annual Meeting in San Francisco.  

Nancy de Grummond, the M. Lynette Thompson Professor of Classics and Distinguished Research Professor and director of Excavations and Research at the Cetamura del Chianti archaeological site in Tuscany, was recognized with the 2026 Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement.  

Two FSU graduates and alumni of the FSU Archaeological Field School at Cetamura del Chianti were also honored at the ceremony. 

“The AIA awards dinner in San Francisco offered a snapshot of what FSU Classics is all about: a department filled with pathbreaking and influential professors who inspire excellence in their students, who in turn become pathbreaking and influential scholars, thus ensuring that the field remains at the forefront of the humanities,” said Tim Stover, chair of the Department of Classics.  

The AIA supports archaeologists, their research and its dissemination, and the ethical practice of archaeology while promoting archaeological inquiry and public understanding of the material record of the human past to foster an appreciation of cultures and shared humanity. The Gold Medal, awarded to one archaeologist each year, recognizes distinguished contributions to the discipline through research and fieldwork. It’s considered analogous to a lifetime achievement award. 

De Grummond has served as director of Excavations and Research at Cetamura since 1983, leading generations of FSU students to the site each summer. The site was discovered in 1964 by Italian archaeologist Alvaro Tracchi, and students from FSU’s Department of Classics started excavating the site in 1973 after the FSU Florence program obtained a permit from the Italian government.  

Now known as the Archaeology in Tuscany Program, FSU students live in a Chianti hill town close to the site and excavate artifacts, study stratigraphy and learn how to process their finds while taking courses examining a variety of approaches to archaeology in the field, the lab and the museum. It is administered by International Programs.  

“It is hard to describe the joy and satisfaction that comes with this kind of recognition,” de Grummond said. “In addition, the thrill of receiving the award was magnified when I found out that two of my students were sharing the podium at the ceremony. We are all so fortunate to have had the FSU International Programs and Department of Classics create the environment where our potential was nurtured.” 

Two FSU alumni were also honored at the AIA’s Annual Meeting. Melanie Godsey (B.A. ‘13) was recognized for her contributions to the book, “Households in Context: Dwelling in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt” (Cornell University Press, 2023), which focuses on the daily lives of families in Egypt, moving beyond elite narratives. The book won the 2026 James R. Wiseman Book Award from AIA, which honors an outstanding academic book in archaeology published within the past four years that advances the field through original research and synthesis. Godsey earned her bachelor’s degree in Classical Archaeology from FSU in 2013 and is an assistant professor of Classical Studies at Trinity University in San Antonio.  

Taylor Cwikla (B.A. ‘19, M.A. ‘22) received the inaugural Gold Public Engagement Award from AIA, which recognizes members who make archaeology accessible to a broad range of non-specialist audiences. Cwikla earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Classical Archaeology from FSU and serves as a museum educator at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece, building educational resources that educators worldwide can access for free.  

During their time at FSU, Godsey and Cwikla both spent time at Cetamura. Cwikla served as a field archaeologist and research assistant in 2016 and as an excavation supervisor in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Godsey was a field archaeologist and research assistant at Cetamura in 2010 and has also worked at sites in Egypt and Greece.  

Discoveries by FSU at Cetamura have unearthed a long and diverse history that encompasses successive settlements by the Etruscans (7th-1st centuries BCE), the Romans (1st century BCE-4th century CE), and Medieval Italians (11th-12th century CE). In 2023, FSU celebrated 50 years of discoveries at Cetamura with the inauguration of the new Civic Museum at the Origins of Chianti. Located 9 kilometers from the archaeological site, the museum collection highlights the archeological discoveries at Cetamura, including Etruscan and Roman artifacts. 

“The research de Grummond has done on the material found at Cetamura has helped revolutionize our understanding of the Etruscans,” Stover said. “She has been an influential, inspirational and generous scholar, one whose work has not only changed the way we think about ancient Italy but has positively impacted the lives of countless students. Two of those students, Taylor Cwikla and Melanie Godsey, have gone on to have amazing careers, so it is no surprise that they too have been recognized by the AIA.” 

For more information about FSU’s Department of Classics, visit classics.fsu.edu. To learn more about the Archaeology in Tuscany program, visit the International Programs website.  

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The Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts (MoFA) and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Center (NAIS) partnered to welcome Seminole artist Wilson Bowers to the museum for a collaborative painting event.  

Students, faculty, staff and community members came together on Feb. 27 to complete a colorful patchwork-inspired painting, which will be displayed at NAIS, in the Greene-Lewis House at 525 W. College Ave., following its completion.  

“We are honored that the museum is able to serve as a place where artists like Wilson Bowers can come together with the community, share their work, and form lasting and meaningful connections through events like this,” said Kaylee Spencer, Museum of Fine Arts director. “It’s wonderful to know that this piece of art will remain here on campus, where the creative experiences it generates become woven into the memories and placemaking of our community. We are deeply grateful to Wilson for inspiring this moment and for so generously sharing his creativity and knowledge with us.”  

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Four Florida State University scholars have received the Collaboration for Information Literacy Prize from the Modern Language Association (MLA) for their partnership in developing “Paris World Capital,” an innovative course that invites students to critically examine Paris as a cultural and global icon while strengthening research and digital literacy skills. 

The national award was presented last month during the MLA’s annual convention in Toronto, Canada, and recognizes exemplary collaborations between faculty and academic librarians that integrate information literacy into coursework in literature, language or related fields. 

“This award celebrates a truly interdisciplinary effort that brings together expertise from across the university to deepen students’ engagement with one of the world’s most iconic cities,” said Reinier Leushuis, department chair and professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. “It reflects FSU’s commitment to innovative teaching that equips students with the critical thinking and research skills essential for success in a globalized and information‑rich world.” 

The initiative was led by Aimée Boutin, professor of French in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, in close collaboration with an interdisciplinary team from FSU Libraries, including Rachel Duke, research and engagement program director for Special Collections and Archives; Kelly Grove, STEM program director and GIS and Earth Sciences librarian; and Jonathan DaSo, arts and humanities program director and modern languages and linguistics librarian. 

Boutin, whose scholarship focuses on 19th‑century literature, urban studies and cultural history, designed the course to help students move beyond familiar images and stereotypes of Paris. Through an immersive, media‑rich approach, students explore how the city’s iconic status has been shaped by literature, history, monuments, tourism and digital platforms across time. 

“Most people’s image of Paris is constructed through media, including books, social media, websites and platforms like TripAdvisor, which makes it a powerful focus for digital literacy,” Boutin said. “The course combines practical information with critical thinking about how cities become global destinations while teaching students how to move beyond Google to find accurate, peer‑reviewed sources.” 

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Opening Nights at Florida State University has opened the nomination period for its annual award, recognizing a Leon County Schools faculty member who demonstrates outstanding support for arts education throughout their academic career. Nominations will close on April 6.

The Opening Nights at Florida State University Arts Advocate Award celebrates an exceptional Leon County Schools educator who goes above and beyond to inspire students through the arts. Whether they teach music, theatre, visual art, dance or creatively integrate the arts into another subject area, this award honors teachers who make a lasting impact on their students and school communities.

“The Arts Advocate Award shines a light on the educators who strengthen our schools and our community by making the arts a vital part of learning,” said Jordan Phillips, education and engagement manager at Opening Nights at FSU. “Their advocacy ensures students experience the creativity and connection the arts uniquely provide.”

Nominees must be employed by Leon County Schools during the 2025–2026 academic year and demonstrate a sustained commitment to high-quality arts education. Nominations may be submitted by faculty, staff, students, parents/guardians or community members, and self-nominations are welcome.

Being an arts advocate means championing the arts as essential to learning, creativity and student growth. Educators who create meaningful artistic experiences, spark curiosity, build confidence, and ensure all students have access to the arts are ideal candidates for this award.

The award recipient will receive:

• An educational engagement for their class (or school) presented by Opening Nights during the 2026–2027 school year.
• Producer’s Circle Membership benefits for the 2026–2027 Opening Nights season.

Submit nominations at the Opening Nights Arts Advocate Award website now through April 6.

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African drummer, composer, dancer and singer Sidiki Conde will bring his high‑energy performance to Opening Nights at Florida State University.  

“SIDIKI! The Pulse of Africa” will take place on Friday, March 6, in the auditorium at the Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center, with a reception beginning at 6 p.m. and performance running from 7 to 8 p.m.  

“Sidiki’s performances are exhilarating,” said Susan Baldino of Arts4All Florida who is hosting the musician in Tallahassee. “His musicianship and verve are second to none, but the real power Sidiki has is the uncanny ability to connect with people of all abilities, to make them smile, to temper their trepidations.”  

“When I sing and dance, I am a bright star on the stage, not a dark figure in a wheelchair. When I teach, I help my students transform themselves, too. They become happy, free, lighter and more confident. Their joy comes back to me and assures me that my life has one purpose: to dance and teach.”   

— Sidiki Conde

Conde will be joined by celebrated African drummer Abdoulaye Toure, a former performer with Guinea’s National Ballet Djoliba and current resident musician for Princeton University’s West African dance classes.

Members of Tallahassee’s Ayoka Afrikan Drum and Dance will also perform. The group is committed to making African drumming and dance traditions accessible to the community. Ayoka shares Conde’s belief that “dance and drumming are more than art forms — they are transformative tools for healing, joy and community upliftment.”    

Conde’s life story is inspirational. He grew up in Guinea, West Africa and experienced a life‑changing incident at age 14.  

“Coming from school, I fell down and never stood up again,” he said. “Everything was paralyzed. My back, hand, leg. It was polio.”   

Facing the stigma associated with disability in his community, he strengthened his upper body and learned to walk and dance on his hands. Since then, he has dedicated his life to sharing joy and resilience through music and dance.  

“When I sing and dance, I am a bright star on the stage, not a dark figure in a wheelchair,” Conde said. “When I teach, I help my students transform themselves, too. They become happy, free, lighter and more confident. Their joy comes back to me and assures me that my life has one purpose: to dance and teach.”   

Known for his distinctive dance style and accomplished musical career, Conde has performed with African music icons Youssou N’Dour, Salifa Keita and Baaba Maal. He previously served as a soloist and director of choreography for the respected ballet troupe Les Merveilles de Guinea.  

After touring with the troupe, Conde relocated to New York City, where he founded the Tokounou All‑Abilities Dance and Music Ensemble. The group provides performances and educational programs for people of all ages and abilities, including students with disabilities and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.  

Conde’s artistic impact includes being named a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow in 2007, co‑founding Afro‑Jersey with singer‑songwriter Terre Roche in 2008, serving as the subject of Alan Govenar’s 2013 documentary “You Don’t Need Feet to Dance,” releasing the album “Africa in New Orleans” in 2025, and earning a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship this past fall.  

The performance is sponsored by Arts4All Florida, a non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure universal access to the arts. Arts4All Florida partners with Opening Nights at FSU, the Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center, and the FSU College of Music with support from The Brady Foundation, the FSU student‑led organization University of Choice and Marjorie Turnbull.  

The event is free and open to the public, with reservations available.  

For more information and to reserve a free ticket, visit openingnights.fsu.edu. 

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While most people view walking as a simple means to get from point A to point B, a recent interdisciplinary lecture at Florida State University suggests that traveling on foot is an essential act that defines our relationship with the world.

Co-presented by the Milton S. Carothers Faculty Lecture Series and the Festival of the Creative Arts, “The Art of Walking” brought together scholars from across the university to discuss the practice of “flânerie,” or the art of urban strolling.

Held in the Bradley Reading Room of Robert Manning Strozier Library, the event offered a deep dive into how the simple act of walking shapes social identity and urban policy. FSU’s First Lady Dr. Jai Vartikar kicked off the afternoon’s program, welcoming attendees and highlighting the importance of the arts and humanities in sparking these interdisciplinary conversations.

“For 45 years, the Carothers Lecture Series has been a space for important conversations that bridge academic disciplines, bring people together and encourage us to think more broadly and to imagine more boldly. That spirit of collaboration is very much alive at FSU today.” 

— Dr. Jai Vartikar, First Lady of Florida State University

“For 45 years, the Carothers Lecture Series has been a space for important conversations that bridge academic disciplines, bring people together and encourage us to think more broadly and to imagine more boldly,” Vartikar said. “That spirit of collaboration is very much alive at FSU today.”

The conversation featured Aimée Boutin, a professor of French in the College of Arts and Sciences and Meaghan McSorley, an assistant professor of Urban and Regional Planning in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy.

Boutin, an expert in 19th-century French studies, opened the lecture by exploring the history of the flâneur. She described the kaleidoscopic encounters of figures in French literature who wandered through Paris, treating the sights and sounds of the city as a “sensory feast.”

“The flâneur does not merely navigate space; they read the city like a living text, capturing the ephemeral beauty and social friction that define the urban experience,” Boutin said.

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Florida State University will host scholars from around the world Thursday, Feb. 19 through Saturday, Feb. 21 for a conference discussing the roles that Africa and African descendants played in how World War I and World War II were fought and how they are remembered.

“Africa and the African Diaspora and the World Wars” is sponsored by the Department of History’s Institute on World War II and the Human Experience, the Society for Black Military Studies, and Auburn University’s Department of History. The event, which features more than 15 international speakers, is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

“The conference will feature presentations by young scholars from Africa and speakers who recently immigrated to America, considering battles and other Military engagements during the World Wars that took place in Africa, and the military history of African American participation in World War II,” said Kurt Piehler, director of the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience and associate professor of history.

The event kicks off at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, at the FSU Alumni Association Center with a public keynote address by Chad Williams, the Tomorrow Foundation Chair of American Intellectual History at Boston University and the author of four books on African American history. His address will focus on World War I, Black military history and William Edward Burghardt Du Bois –– an American sociologist, writer and Pan-African civil rights activist who lived from 1868 to 1963 and initially encouraged African Americans to support World War I efforts, believing it would help earn rights for Black citizens.

“Chad Williams is a remarkable scholar; he is one of the leading historians of military history in the 20th century, particularly for African American soldiers’ experiences of World War I,” Piehler said. “We were inspired to invite him to speak at the conference after an insightful conversation with my students regarding his book, ‘Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era.’” 

Following the keynote address, five sessions will be held –– three on Friday, Feb. 20, and two on Saturday, Feb. 21 –– all at the FSU Alumni Association Center. Sessions will showcase various presentations covering themes including Black military service, military operations in Africa, social transformation under colonial rule, political communication and others.    

“Africa and the African diaspora, the voluntary and involuntary movement of African descendants across the globe, are often overlooked in military history,” Piehler said. “We hope the conference will promote scholarship in this field and encourage scholars to submit papers to the Journal of Black Military Studies, a new journal established in 2024 by one of the conference’s sponsors, the Society for Black Military Studies.” 

The Society for Black Military Studies, founded in 2022, aims to preserve and share Black soldiers’ contributions throughout history and raise awareness of the Black military experience in all its complexity.

“World War I and World War II cannot be understood without Africa and the African diaspora,” said Le’Trice Donaldson, founder and president of the Society for Black Military Studies and an assistant professor of history at Auburn University. “The World Wars were turning points in the making of modern Black politics and identities, shaping struggles such as citizenship, labor and freedom. This conference emphasizes that the World Wars were global Black history, not just European history.”

This event is funded by the George and Martin Langford Endowment and the Pearl Tyner Endowment. 

To register for the conference, contact Piehler at kpiehler@fsu.edu.  To learn more about FSU’s Department of History, visit history.fsu.edu.  

For more on the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience, visit history.fsu.edu/institutes/institute-world-war-ii-and-human-experience.

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Florida State University research is connecting the arts and humanities to health, healing and human connection, demonstrating how interdisciplinary scholarship can improve healthcare.

Faculty and students from across campus gathered on Feb. 10 at the Claude Pepper Center for the Arts–Health–Humanities Symposium VI, an interdisciplinary forum exploring how creative and scholarly perspectives converge to advance human well-being and healthcare. The symposium is part of the Festival of the Creative Arts, a monthlong celebration of the voices, talents and creativity of FSU faculty and students.

“By bringing together researchers from different disciplines, the symposium creates opportunities to collaborate and expand research across campus,” said Professor Iain Quinn, research fellow in the Arts and Humanities and director of the Festival of the Creative Arts. “The inherently interdisciplinary nature of the event allows us to benefit from the knowledge of other fields and strengthen our own work.”

Now in its sixth iteration, the symposium featured faculty and student researchers from medicine, music therapy, interior design, ethnomusicology, art therapy and the humanities. Presentations, experiential performances and poster sessions highlighted emerging scholarship in arts-based health research and its applications across the lifespan.

For Daejin Kim, associate professor in the College of Fine Arts, principles of architectural and interior design play a critical role in shaping environments that support both physical safety and psychological well-being. Kim’s research focuses on how interior design strategies can help older adults age in place while maintaining independence.

His presentation emphasized how thoughtful design choices, including lighting, spatial layout and material selection, can reduce fall risk while preserving autonomy and dignity. Rather than relying solely on clinical safety standards, Kim stressed the importance of centering the lived experiences of older adults in design decisions.

“Design has the power to support both safety and autonomy,” Kim said. “When we consider the lived experience of older adults, we can create environments that promote independence without sacrificing dignity.”

Several presentations explored the role of the arts in medical education and healthcare practice. Tana Jean Welch, associate professor at the College of Medicine, discussed “HEAL: Humanism Evolving through Arts and Literature,” a creative arts journal published by the FSU College of Medicine. Welch highlighted the journal’s history and its role in fostering reflection, empathy and humanism in medical training.

Music as medicine

Music therapy research featured prominently throughout the symposium, with presentations spanning infancy through adolescence. Adriana Lizardi-Vázquez, a doctoral student in music therapy, opened her presentation by singing a lullaby commonly used by caregivers in Puerto Rico. Drawing from a study of caregivers with infants ranging from newborns to 18 months old, Lizardi-Vázquez documented more than 180 distinct lullabies and identified shared musical characteristics such as simple melodies, slow tempo and repetition.

Her findings highlight how familiar music supports bonding, language development and emotional regulation.

Other research explored adolescents’ use of music as a coping strategy. Doctoral students Parintorn “Pim” Pankaew and Shun Ee “Racheal” Yap presented findings from a statewide survey of Florida adolescents, revealing widespread use of music for stress management, emotional expression and relaxation. Their work explores how these patterns can inform music therapy–informed wellness and mental health interventions.

James E. Riley addressed professional development in music therapy, sharing preliminary findings on entrepreneurship in the field. While nearly 90% of surveyed music therapy students expressed interest in entrepreneurial work, a similar percentage reported receiving little to no formal guidance.

“There’s a disconnect between how students are trained and the professional realities they will face,” Riley said. “Future music therapists must develop professional and entrepreneurial skills alongside clinical training to navigate today’s healthcare and wellness industries.”

In an experiential session, Michael Bakan, professor of ethnomusicology, led participants in a group vocal performance inspired by the gamelan suara, or “vocal gamelan,” of Bali, Indonesia, demonstrating how collective music-making can foster social cohesion, wellness and joy.

Creativity continues

Poster presentations further highlighted student and faculty research at the intersection of the arts and health, with topics including art therapy assessments for PTSD, community music therapy initiatives, and the art-informed study of the experiences of athletes with disabilities.

“In times of shared challenge, the arts remind us that connection is essential,” Bakan said. “They help us build community, process experience and support one another in ways that are fundamental to human health.”

The Festival of the Creative Arts continues Monday, Feb. 16, with a screening of “Nickel Boys,” a film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, from 6-9 p.m. at the Askew Student Life Center on FSU’s campus.

Visit the Festival of the Creative Arts website for a full schedule of programming.

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