The Florida State University School of Dance will bring new choreography, creative research and artistic collaboration to the stage during its 2026-27 production season, “Unbound.”  

The season features performances and special events that showcase the range of creative work and inquiry taking place across the School of Dance.  

The season opens Oct. 6 with the Tallahassee premiere of “Adele Myers and Dancers: a world gone FABULOUS” at the Nancy Smith Fichter Dance Theatre, presented in partnership with Opening Nights. 

“We are especially pleased to have our students featured as part of this Opening Nights performance,” said James Frazier, dean of the College of Fine Arts. “The evening will open with a newly commissioned work performed by our senior dance majors. It gives our students the chance to bring their work to a broader audience and gain valuable experience performing alongside professionals.” 

“Unbound” combines longtime-favorite productions, including Days of Dance in the fall and Evenings of Dance in the spring, with new opportunities for creative exploration. Among this year’s additions is the inaugural Meridian Dance Film Festival, a juried event that promises to feature work from filmmakers from around the world.  

“This season reveals the depth and range of creative work within our community,” said Helanius J. Wilkins, chair of the School of Dance. “At its core, ‘Unbound’ honors our rich legacy while creating space for reinvention. It invites curiosity, rigorous artistic inquiry and new perspectives while expanding opportunities for collaboration among our students, faculty and distinguished guest artists.” 

Visit the FSU Dance website to purchase tickets. For more information about the FSU School of Dance, visit dance.fsu.edu.   

2026-27 School of Dance performance schedule 

Oct. 6 — Adele Myers and Dancers: a world gone FABULOUS: Presented in partnership with Opening Nights, the Tallahassee premiere features Adele Myers and Dancers, with senior dance majors opening the evening with a newly commissioned work. 

Nov. 6. 7, 13, 14 — Days of Dance: This annual mainstage production brings together works by faculty with a juried selection of pieces by students and staff, performed by School of Dance students.  

Dec. 3 — Sketches: This new, scaled-down dance production emphasizes experimentation and student-driven perspectives, featuring a range of dance styles and creative approaches.  

Jan. 22 — Emerging Voices: A Graduate Showcase: This new showcase presents original works by graduate students in the School of Dance, inviting audiences to explore the questions, processes and possibilities shaping their creative work. 

Feb. 5 — Festival of the Creative Arts: Part of FSU’s annual celebration of interdisciplinary creativity, “Into the Deep” brings together oceanography, dance, music, poetry and other disciplines, with an emphasis on student-created work. 

Feb. 6-7 — Young Dancers Workshop: The annual Young Dancers’ Workshop gives about 200 dancers, ages 10 to 18 the opportunity to participatein a weekend of master classes with School of Dance faculty, including Suzanne Farrell, and invited guest artists.  

Feb. 6 — Meridian Dance Film Festival: This inaugural juried dance film festival features works selected from filmmakers around the world, givingaudiences an opportunity to experience diverse approaches to dance that extend beyond the boundaries of the stage. 

April 9-10 — Evenings of Dance: The School of Dance’s annual spring mainstage production features student performers in works created by School of Dance faculty and distinguished guest artists, highlighting the creative exchanges that emerge through mentorship, collaboration and artistic practice. 
April 13 — Senior Capstone: The Senior Capstone showcases culminating creative projects by graduating students, who bring together their artistic, technical and scholarly development through original work presented to the School of Dance community. 

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The Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts (MoFA) will present “Floating Metal: UNDERcurrents In My Father’s Garden” beginning Aug. 27, an immersive performance exhibition bringing together the work of two artists and FSU faculty members, father and daughter Ed Love and nia love.

Conceived by School of Dance Professor and Guggenheim-winning choreographer nia love and co-curator Benin Ford, “Floating Metal” brings love’s choreography and dance films into conversation with the work of her father, Ed Love, a sculptor, fellow Guggenheim recipient and celebrated member of the Black Arts Movement. Known for transforming discarded scrap metal into powerful sculptures, Ed Love served as an FSU professor of visual arts from 1990 until his death in 1999.

“One of the central ideas of ‘Floating Metal: UNDERcurrents In My Father’s Garden’ is that our understanding of an artist is never complete. Knowledge unfolds as new works, memories, archives, relationships, and perspectives are brought into conversation,” said Kaylee Spencer, director of the museum. “By looking at Ed Love’s work through the experience of nia love’s performances and video installations, we can revisit the past with new information and see the present differently. We are excited to share this experience with the Tallahassee community.”

The exhibition will combine dance, live jazz music and video projection with the first museum presentation of images from Ed Love’s 1988 “Beloved” series and a selection of his metal sculptures commemorating Black historical figures.

The exhibition is personal for nia love because it draws on her relationship with her father and her own experiences as an artist.

“My father sent me forth to do the dance,” said love. “What happened to tear us apart is not a small thing. It all crosses the seas, estuaries and rivers. Floating Metal recalls and continues this movement. It is a prayer of memory and healing, and a message of invention and rupture.”

nia love will perform at the museum Aug. 27-29 as part of the exhibition. Performances are free and open to the public, but reservations are requiredbecause of limited capacity. Free tickets are available through Eventbrite.

The exhibition also will feature a live performance camera obscura installation encompassing the museum’s central gallery. The darkened installation will project the movements of performers and audience members as images onto the museum walls.

An opening reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3. The event is free and open to the public.

love began developing work related to “Floating Metal” during a 2022 residency at FSU’s Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, before joining the School of Dance faculty. During the residency, she conducted research and developed choreography that contributed to the exhibition.

The presentation of “Floating Metal: UNDERcurrents In My Father’s Garden” was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation. Additional support comes from FSU’s Council on Research + Creativity.

MoFA is Tallahassee’s only art museum accredited by the American Association of Museums. Home to a permanent collection of over 7,000 objects and works of art, the museum fosters creativity, collaboration and connection in our community. Visit the MoFA website to learn more and plan your visit.

 Performance schedule

Thursday, Aug. 27: 5:30 p.m. 

Friday, Aug. 28: 5:30 p.m. 

Saturday, Aug. 29: 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. 

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 The Florida State University Department of Art Education has a new name: the Department of Arts Leadership, Education & Therapy. The new name better reflects the full range of disciplines already housed within the department, including art education, art therapy, arts administration and museum education and visitor-centered curation. 

 “This change reflects the comprehensive scope of our graduate program areas,” said Department Chair and Professor of Art Education Rachel Fendler. “While our commitment to academic excellence and student success remains unchanged, our new name better reflects the full breadth of the department’s mission.” 

The Department of Arts Leadership, Education & Therapy focuses exclusively on graduate education, preparing the next generation of leaders in the arts. The department offers a range of graduate programs, including several fully online options designed for working professionals, and its programs have earned regional and national recognition. 

To learn more about the department and its programs, visit ArtsLeadership.fsu.edu. Follow the department on Instagram at @fsuartsleadership for the latest news and updates.  

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A Florida State University religious studies scholar has earned a competitive grant from one of the country’s leading humanities research organizations to support the translation of two pivotal texts into English and shed light on ancient Buddhist practices and traditions.

Jimmy Yu, the Sheng Yen Professor of Chinese Buddhism in FSU’s Department of Religion, has earned the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Public Impact Grant in Buddhist Studies from the American Council of Learned Societies, a non-profit organization supporting humanities and social science scholars.

The $50,000 grant will support two directions of Yu’s project, “Interdependence: Bridging Chinese Huayan Buddhism and Western Buddhist Practice.” First, the grant includes the translation of two pivotal Huayan Buddhist texts, “Contemplation on the Extinction of Delusion and the Cultivation of the Source of Profound Implications in the Flower Garland” and “Commentary on the Contemplations on the Flower Garland Dharmadhātu.” Second, the grant subsidizes Yu to take a one-year sabbatical to lead retreats and workshops around the country based on the translations.

“Winning this grant came with great excitement and pride,” Yu said. “Now that these texts are translated, people can engage with their teachings, connect them to their own fields of study and apply them to everyday life. I hope it sparks interest in secular, religious and academic fields.”

ACLS was founded in 1919 following the end of World War I to rebuild international scholarly collaboration. Today, its mission is to advance knowledge that improves human experience by supporting those researching human endeavors of the past, present and future. This includes the grants in Buddhist studies, which support projects that make the knowledge of Buddhism more accessible and improve the public’s understanding of Buddhist art, texts and traditions.

“Religious studies scholars like Jimmy remind us that the arena of our research is the world outside of our offices and libraries.”

— Martin Kavka, chair of FSU’s Department of Religion

Yu studies Chinese Buddhism from historical, textual and anthropological perspectives, with a particular interest in how it was practiced in everyday life. Analyzing ancient texts written in classical Chinese, he examines both lived religious traditions and philosophical beliefs from Huayan Buddhist texts. Some of his specific research areas include Chinese Buddhist history from the years 1100 to 1800, bodily rituals and Chan and Zen studies — a major part of which is meditation.

“The grant has given me time to bridge the academic study and the practice of Buddhism together by using my text translations and annotations to design hybrid meditation retreats,” Yu said. “The retreats, scheduled for this year and next, are aimed at English-speaking Buddhists who wouldn’t normally be able to read classical Chinese texts and are seeking greater access to ancient Huayan teachings.”

Huayan Buddhism is a school within Chinese Buddhism that developed during the Tang dynasty from 618 to 907 C.E. It centers around the interconnectedness of all things, borrowing from its core phrase, “One is all, all is one.” For this project, Yu is translating Huayan texts from classical Chinese into English and using them as the foundation for avenues like public lectures known as Dharma talks, mainstream Buddhist journal articles and digital media productions.

The hybrid meditation retreats resulting from these translations will be held at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Barre, Massachusetts, later this year; the San Francisco Zen Center in San Francisco in 2027; Great Vow Monastery, Oregon, in 2027; and the Tallahassee Chan Center in Tallahassee in 2027.

“Religious studies scholars like Jimmy remind us that the arena of our research is the world outside of our offices and libraries,” said Martin Kavka, chair of FSU’s Department of Religion. “The retreats he is planning and the various publications that will stem from his work will give Buddhist practitioners in the U.S. a greater self-knowledge about the stakes of their own practices and address a deep lack in Westerners’ understanding of Buddhism.”

Yu earned his doctorate in Buddhist studies from Princeton University in New Jersey in 2008 and joined FSU’s faculty that same year. At FSU, he teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in Chinese and Japanese religious traditions.

Outside the classroom, Yu is an editor for the Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies and the Sheng Yen Series in Chinese Buddhism through Columbia University Press. He’s also the founder of the Tallahassee Chan Center, a nonprofit meditation sanctuary that hosts meditation sessions and retreats and has authored six books centered on Chinese and Chan Buddhism.

To learn more about research conducted in FSU’s Department of Religion, visit the department’s website.

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Florida State University’s College of Fine Arts is launching the School of Design at the start of the 2026-27 academic year, a move that reflects the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of the design profession.  

Formerly the Department of Interior Architecture & Design, the newly designated school better reflects the breadth of design education now offered at FSU while advancing its nationally recognized interior design program. 

The School of Design builds on more than 50 years of excellence in design education. FSU’s interior design program is ranked No. 3 in the nation for both undergraduate and graduate education by Niche, reinforcing the university’s longstanding reputation as one of the country’s top destinations for design education. 

The transition coincides with the launch of a new bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary design and the addition of a graduate certificate in graphic design last year. Together, the programs expand opportunities for students while positioning the School of Design to meet the evolving needs of the profession.  

“For more than half a century, Florida State University has been training leading designers who shape how we live, work and interact with the world,” said James Frazier, dean of the College of Fine Arts. “The launch of the School of Design reflects our dedication to design thinking, innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. We are preparing students not only for today’s creative industries, but also for the evolving challenges and opportunities shaping the future of design.” 

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The Florida State University College of Music has launched the Center for Music Leadership and Community Engagement and named Blaire Koerner as its inaugural director.  

The new center will prepare students for a range of music careers while expanding partnerships with arts organizations and community partners in Tallahassee and beyond. 

The center brings together the college’s Bachelor of Arts in Community Music, Master of Arts in Arts Administration and music entrepreneurship initiatives to create new opportunities for students while strengthening its ties to the community.  

The center also will serve as a hub for internships, professional development and community engagement across the College of Music. The center builds on the college’s recent launch of the nation’s first undergraduate degree in community music. 

“The college has historical community engagement in many arenas, but the new undergraduate program in community music highlighted a need for stronger and more focused structures for the future,” said Gregory Jones, the College of Music’s associate dean for engagement. “These concepts are an innovative response to developments in student interest, community needs and social change. Tallahassee offers an ideal environment for these new programs due to its diversity and strong arts footprint.” 

Students will have opportunities to work with local arts organizations, schools and community partners through internships, collaborative projects and other hands-on experiences. The center also will help strengthen existing partnerships while creating new opportunities for engagement across the region. 

Koerner joins Florida State from the Eastman School of Music, where she served as associate director of the Institute for Music Leadership. There, she helped develop leadership programs, expand internship opportunities and build partnerships with arts organizations while preparing students for careers in music. 

“What drew me to the College of Music was its strong sense of community,” Koerner said. “When I was researching the school, I noticed that ‘community’ was one of the College of Music’s core values. To me that stood out because it emphasized what they prioritize, how they strategically plan and think, and meant that this Center was not only going to be supported but was truly needed.” 

She also said she was impressed by the college’s commitment to preparing students for many different careers in music. 

“I really appreciated the fact that it’s looking toward the future,” Koerner said. “The college actively values all forms of careers in the music field. As someone who’s created a unique path for herself and guided many others on their authentic journey, I really resonated with that flexibility of choice.” 

During her first year, Koerner said her focus will be on listening, building relationships and learning from the university and community. 

“I’m going to be conducting a listening tour, setting up meetings, asking questions, listening to feedback and insight, attending events and absorbing as much as I can,” she said. “We need to start building the center’s reputation with individuals and organizations who represent a wide array of community spaces and endeavors.” 

Koerner said the center will build on the College of Music’s long history of community engagement by creating a stronger framework for future partnerships. 

“FSU is already enhancing the student experience and benefiting the community and has been doing so for over a hundred years,” she said. “What I believe the center can bring to the table is structure. I see the center as becoming the focal point of community engagement, helping to allocate resources more efficiently, strengthen existing programs and build new ones.” 

Jones said he expects the center to become a lasting resource for both students and the broader community. 

“We anticipate that in five years we will have created a strong center for musical engagement that offers clear pathways and support for students and faculty to increase their work off campus,” he said. “The recipe for combining experience in music, entrepreneurship and arts leadership will yield FSU graduates ready to lead the way in bringing the power and passion of music to communities across the globe.” 

To learn more about the Center for Music Leadership and Community Engagement, visit music.fsu.edu/community-engagement. 

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Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts (FSUFilm) has extended its seven-year run as the nation’s No. 4 public film school while climbing to No. 13 overall in the Hollywood Reporter’s annual ranking of the nation’s best film schools. 

The annual ranking recognizes film schools that prepare students for careers in the entertainment industry through innovative programs, accomplished alumni and hands-on learning. FSUFilm moved up from No. 14 overall last year.

“The Hollywood Reporter’s recognition reflects the extraordinary creativity of our students, the dedication of our faculty and staff and Florida State University’s continued commitment to providing an exceptional film education,” said Reb Braddock, dean of the College of Motion Picture Arts. “As we enter the fourth year of our MFA Feature Film Program and introduce the M3 Project, we’re continuing to build on the innovation that has helped FSUFilm, as The Hollywood Reporter noted, ‘punch above its weight’ while preparing students for successful careers in the industry.” 

In its 2026 ranking, the Hollywood Reporter highlighted FSUFilm’s accomplished alumni, affordable tuition and innovative curriculum. The publication recognized the college’s optional third-year MFA Feature Film Program, now entering its fourth year, which gives graduate students the opportunity to pitch, direct and complete a fully financed feature film while second-year students gain professional production experience before graduation. 

This year, the college is also introducing the M3 Project, which gives graduate students the opportunity to explore serialized storytelling while building filmmaking skills in virtual production. 

The publication also noted the success of “NoSeeUms,” the first feature produced through the MFA Feature Film Program. The film is represented internationally by Odin’s Eye, secured domestic distribution through Quiver and is now streaming on Apple TV and Amazon. 

Among the recent alumni highlighted by the Hollywood Reporter were Academy Award winner Adele Romanski, producer of “Sorry, Baby;” Max Allman, an associate producer on the Best Picture Oscar nominee “Marty Supreme;” and Alex Ullom, whose directorial debut, “It Ends,” was acquired by Neon after its premiere at SXSW. 

Beyond the classroom, FSUFilm continues to expand opportunities for students through the Torchlight Studios Center for Cinematic Innovation. Renovations are underway on a new 43,242-square-foot facility that will house theaters, soundstages, virtual production space, post-production facilities and other resources supporting the college’s growing programs. 

FSUFilm also continues to offer one of the nation’s lowest costs of attendance among top-ranked film schools. Tuition includes access to industry-standard production equipment and expendable materials, allowing students to complete films without the additional production fees common at many film schools. 

Founded in 1989, the College of Motion Picture Arts has earned an international reputation for preparing students for careers in filmmaking through an intensive, collaborative curriculum centered on storytelling and hands-on production. 

For more information about the College of Motion Picture Arts, visit film.fsu.edu. 

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In Florida and across the Caribbean, hurricane season is more than a forecast. It is a reminder that safety, housing and survival are shaped by decisions people make long before a storm arrives.

For Paul Niell, an associate professor in Florida State University’s Department of Art History, those decisions are also questions of history, ecology and cultural knowledge. His research on Indigenous Caribbean architecture points to a timely idea for communities facing stronger storms: Buildings can be designed to work with the environment around them, not apart from it.

“You have to build in such a way that it works with that ecological condition,” Niell said. “And of course, that’s a very complicated problem to work out.”

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Florida State University’s College of Music 2026-27 University Musical Associates (UMA) Concert Season will feature more than 30 performances that showcase the breadth of the college’s nationally recognized programs in orchestral, choral, band, opera and jazz music.

The season, which runs from September through May, includes major ensemble performances, guest artists, opera productions and collaborations with Opening Nights. Audiences can experience everything from Bach’s Mass in B Minor and music by John Williams to jazz celebrations, new musical theater works and performances by internationally acclaimed artists.

The University Musical Associates play a vital role in supporting the College of Music through concert attendance, advocacy and philanthropy. Their support helps sustain world-class music education and performance opportunities for students while bringing a diverse range of concerts and guest artists to the university and community.

“This season highlights the extraordinary talent and creativity of our students and faculty while creating opportunities for audiences to experience a wide range of musical traditions and artistic voices,” said Greg Jones, associate dean of the College of Music. “From beloved masterworks to new and innovative performances, these concerts reflect the excellence that defines the College of Music.”

Among the season’s highlights is FSU Opera’s production of Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men (Oct. 30 and Nov. 1). The performance marks the centennial of Floyd’s birth and places FSU Opera alongside Houston Grand Opera, Kansas City Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera as the only collegiate member of a consortium producing the work.

Other featured performances include the Housewright Virtuoso Series presentation A Vocal Mosaic (Sept. 10), a celebration of jazz, Broadway, art song and opera; the University Wind Orchestra’s performance of music by John Williams (Sept. 25); and a presentation of Bach’s Mass in B Minor by the University Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir (April 10).

Jazz audiences can look forward to Celebrating Women in Jazz (March 9), featuring acclaimed saxophonist Tia Fuller with Jazz Ensemble I, while flutist Jasmine Choi, former principal flutist of the Vienna Symphony, will perform as part of the Housewright Virtuoso Series.

The season also includes Preview@FSU: Strange Tails (Jan. 29-30), offering audiences a behind-the-scenes look at a new musical in development; the newly dedicated Jim Croft PRISM Concert (Dec. 1-4); and Seasonal Celebration (Dec. 6), featuring the university’s choral ensembles.

The College of Music will continue its partnership with Opening Nights, bringing internationally recognized performers to Tallahassee. Collaborative performances this season include The “President’s Own” United States Marine Band (Oct. 11), Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (Jan. 28) and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (Feb. 25).

Tickets for College of Music performances go on sale June 23 through the FSU Fine Arts Ticket Office. Tickets for Opening Nights collaborative events must be purchased separately through the Opening Nights box office.

UMA members enjoy special access, reserved seating and other benefits throughout the season while helping support the College of Music’s educational and performance mission.

For more information about tickets or UMA membership, visit tickets.music.fsu.edu or call (850) 644-6500. The complete season schedule and more details about the performers are available here.

2026-27 season at a glance

Sept. 10 — Housewright Virtuoso Series: A Vocal Mosaic | Opperman Music Hall

Sept. 18 — University Symphony Orchestra: Celebration! | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

Sept. 25 — Wind Orchestra: Music of John Williams | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

Oct. 2 — Landscapes of Sound: Chamber Music from Latin America | Opperman Music Hall

Oct. 8 — Housewright Virtuoso Series: Members of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra | Opperman Music Hall

Oct. 10 — University Symphony Orchestra: Sounds of Courage | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

Oct. 11 — The “President’s Own” United States Marine Band* | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

Oct. 12 — Honors Jazz Combo with John Allred, trombone | Opperman Music Hall

Oct. 23 — Housewright Virtuoso Series: Studying Music in the Post-Truth Era | Longmire Recital Hall

Oct. 29 — Housewright Virtuoso Series: FSU Choirs with André van der Merwe | Trinity United Methodist Church

Oct. 30 and Nov. 1 — Fall Opera: Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

Nov. 4 — Housewright Virtuoso Series: ModernMedieval Voices: The Living Word | Opperman Music Hall

Nov. 5-6 — Housewright Virtuoso Series: Kristan Toczko, harp/electronic music | Location TBD

Nov. 8 — University Singers: Hear My Cry | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

Nov. 17 — Wind Ensemble: Time and the Winds | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

Dec. 1-4 — Jim Croft PRISM Concert | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

Dec. 6 — Seasonal Celebration | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

Jan. 22 — Housewright Virtuoso Series: Beethoven: A Life in One Evening | Opperman Music Hall

Jan. 27 — Housewright Virtuoso Series: Triple Cortado Trio | Opperman Music Hall

Jan. 28 — Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis* | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

Jan. 29-30 — Preview@FSU: Strange Tails | Conradi Studio Theatre

Feb. 20 — University Symphony Orchestra: The Beethoven Effect | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

Feb. 25 — Audra McDonald: Audra Goes Hollywood* | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

March 9 — Jazz Ensemble I: A Celebration of Women in Jazz | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

April 2 and 4 — Spring Opera: Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica | Opperman Music Hall

April 3 — University Singers and Levana: Cor Amoris, Cor Unum | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

April 7 — University Philharmonia: Fireworks! | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

April 10 — Housewright Virtuoso Series: Jasmine Choi, flute | Opperman Music Hall

April 10 — University Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir: Bach’s Mass in B Minor | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

April 13 — University Wind Orchestra | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

April 17 — Rainbow Concert / 40th Mas N Steel | Opperman Music Hall

April 21 — Wind Ensemble: A Symphony of Symphonies | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

April 21-24 — Housewright Virtuoso Series: Bryan Powell, Music Education | Location TBD

May 28-29 — Summer Opera: Britten’s The Turn of the Screw | Opperman Music Hall

*Presented in collaboration with Opening Nights. Support for these performances is provided by City Bank (“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band); Ken Kato and Nan Nagy (Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis); and Les and Ruth Akers in partnership with The Louise Ireland Humphrey Fund (Audra McDonald).

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Steven High, executive director of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, has announced he will retire after 15 years leading the Sarasota museum complex governed by Florida State University.

High has served as executive director since 2011, overseeing a period of significant growth in collections, educational programming, attendance, fundraising and campus expansion at The Ringling, which serves as Florida’s State Art Museum under the stewardship of Florida State University. He will remain in the position until his successor is identified.

High said serving as executive director of The Ringling has been the highlight of his career and credited the museum’s growth to the work of its staff, foundation board, university leadership and community supporters.

“Together, we strengthened The Ringling’s financial foundation, expanded its reach and preserved its remarkable collections and historic campus for future generations,” High said. “I am deeply grateful to Florida State University, our supporters and the Sarasota community for their partnership and trust.”

During High’s tenure, The Ringling more than doubled its collections, enhanced exhibition programming and educational offerings while overseeing major additions and restorations across the museum’s campus. High oversaw the opening of the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian Art, the Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion, and the Turrell Skyspace Joseph’s Coat as well as several major restoration and preservation initiatives. He also expanded educational outreach, accessibility initiatives and multidisciplinary programming, including the Art of Performance series.

The Ringling also experienced substantial institutional growth during High’s leadership, increasing its annual operating budget from $12 million to $28 million and growing its endowment from $27 million to $67 million. The museum completed a $100 million comprehensive campaign in 2019 and expanded its campus through a series of major projects and initiatives.

“Steven High strengthened The Ringling’s role as both a world-class museum and an important part of Florida State University’s academic mission,” said FSU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Jim Clark. “He expanded opportunities for student learning, research and community engagement while helping preserve and enhance one of Florida’s great cultural institutions. FSU has invested in The Ringling’s growth and success, and Steven’s leadership helped ensure those investments created lasting impact for the museum, its visitors and our students.”

Ringling Museum of Art Foundation Board Chair Meg Hausberg said High’s leadership helped elevate the museum’s national and international reputation while deepening its ties to the university and the Sarasota-Manatee community.

“Steven High has led The Ringling with extraordinary care, intellect and purpose,” Hausberg said. “His leadership elevated the museum’s profile while also strengthening its role as a cultural and educational resource for the state of Florida.”

The Ringling is one of the largest university-based museum complexes in the United States, encompassing 66 bayfront acres and nearly 500,000 square feet of facilities in Sarasota. The campus includes the Museum of Art, Tibbals Learning Center, Circus Museum, Ca’ d’Zan mansion, Historic Asolo Theater, and extensive research, conservation and education spaces. The institution welcomes more than 400,000 visitors annually.

Florida State University has overseen The Ringling since 2000, when the state transferred responsibility for the museum’s stewardship and operations to the university. Today, The Ringling serves as both a cultural destination and an academic resource supporting teaching, research and museum studies opportunities for FSU students and faculty. In January 2026, FSU and The Ringling marked 25 years of shared stewardship.

A nationally respected museum leader and scholar, High’s early career began with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Following graduate work at Williams College, he held leadership and academic roles at institutions including the Portland (Maine) School of Art and Virginia Commonwealth University and led the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno and Telfair Museums in Savannah, Georgia.

Across a career spanning nearly five decades, he has curated numerous exhibitions and published dozens of scholarly catalogues. High also served in leadership roles for national and local organizations, including the American Alliance of Museums and the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County.

Florida State University and the Ringling Museum of Art Foundation have hired Isaacson, Miller, a national search firm, to assist in identifying High’s successor.

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The galleries of the Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts (MoFA) will be filled with vibrant florals June 11 during the museum’s inaugural Art in Bloom event, sponsored by Tallahassee Nurseries.

For the first time at MoFA, local floral artists will create botanical arrangements inspired by watercolor paintings featured in the Tallahassee Watercolor Society’s 2026 Tri-State Annual Juried Water Media Exhibition. The resulting displays will transform the galleries into a temporary collaborative installation.

Guests attending the ticketed event will be the first to view the floral installations while enjoying wine provided by Damas, light bites from Food Glorious Food and Cruton & Co., cakes from Eats by Elyse and live music.

MoFA Director Kaylee Spencer said the event highlights the creative connections between visual art and floral design.

“We are excited to host this event at MoFA. Art in Bloom celebrates the generative power of artistic dialogue: how a creative act in one medium can inspire, transform and expand into another,” said Spencer. “We are thrilled to share these floral creations alongside original watercolors, inviting guests to experience the conversation that emerges between paintings and floral design. That exchange between artists, materials and forms of expression is at the heart of what we foster here at the museum. Every ticket purchased helps support the museum’s exhibitions, programming and collections all year long.”

As presenting sponsor of Art in Bloom, Tallahassee Nurseries is providing both financial support and floral expertise to help bring MoFA’s inaugural celebration to life.

“We are excited to be involved with an event that showcases the artistry growing in our area and cultivates the community’s connection with the arts. Our floral designers’ creativity shines at every event or occasion, so we are delighted to see their bespoke designs displayed alongside the works of other talented florists and local artists,” said Melissa Hutchinson, social media and outreach manager for Tallahassee Nurseries.

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Florida State University Professor of Art Therapy and director of the Institute for Arts & Art Therapy with the Imprisoned Dave Gussak has launched a podcast exploring how the arts are transforming the lives of incarcerated individuals.

On “Creativity Unconfined,” Gussak, a leading expert who has authored numerous books on the topic, interviews guests involved in prison arts programs and advocacy efforts.

Gussak said the podcast is designed to raise awareness about the positive impact of arts programs in prisons, spark new ideas among practitioners, and inspire others to get involved.

“I’m incredibly excited to bring together leading voices from across the field for conversations about emerging research and personal stories about the impacts of art and art therapy in prison settings,” Gussak said. “My hope for this podcast is that it can be a space that’s welcoming and informative not only for therapy practitioners, but for anyone — including corrections professionals, community activists and artists, and of course, formerly incarcerated individuals and loved ones.”

The first eight episodes of the podcast will be available May 31 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube, with new episodes released each Monday.

Among Gussak’s first guests are Chris Fausto Cabrera, an artist and activist who credits art and writing with helping him survive 21 years in a Minnesota prison; Antonio Espinosa, a former prison guard who became an advocate safer for prison environments through the arts after the death of his partner during a prison altercation; and Julie and Mike McBride, whose son was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he committed when he was young.

The podcast is produced by FSU art therapy graduate students Malea Burroughs and Sydney Nichols.

For more information about Arts & Art Therapy with the Imprisoned and its mission, visit AATI.fsu.ed.

Those interested in supporting AATI or “Creativity Unconfined” can make a gift at give.fsu.edu/AATI.

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