Florida State University Department of Art students recently took their classroom experience to Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens to deliver interactive toys designed for animals as part of the Interspecies Sculpture Studio course in the College of Fine Arts.
Led by FSU Associate Professor and MFA Program Director Rob Duarte, the interdisciplinary course invites students from all majors to explore the crossroads of art and zoology, fostering skills in creative problem-solving that extend far beyond the studio.
“Projects like this show how creative thinking and hands-on learning can connect people and institutions in ways that make a real difference,” Duarte said. “It’s about building bridges — between art and science, students and professionals, and the university and the broader community.”
The Toys for Animals initiative, launched at Handshouse Studio in Norwell, Mass., focuses on animal enrichment and the ways humans can help animals thrive in dynamic, engaging environments.
“Involving art students provides a whole other kind of perspective, a whole other set of skills,” Duarte said. “They are really used to thinking carefully about the details.”
Duarte’s class approached the challenge from both research and creative perspectives, working closely with veterinarians, zookeepers and zoo staff to understand the unique needs and natural behaviors of each species. Students worked in groups to develop their toys for giraffes, Komodo dragons and birds.
“I really take any opportunity in which I get to work with my classmates as a very valuable experience, because I feel like where I learn the most is from working with others —everyone has their own experiences to share,” said Samuel Phrasavath, a senior studying studio art who worked on creating an enrichment toy for Komodo dragons.
Before delivering their toys to the zoo, students researched animal behavior, enrichment needs and safe materials. At FSU’s Innovation Hub, they applied design thinking framework to create and improve prototypes that incorporate expert feedback. Design thinking focuses on a user-centered approach to creative problem-solving.
“It’s very, very rare that our clients are ten-foot-tall animals,” said Kate Casey, a senior dual degree studio art and theatre student who created an enrichment toy for giraffes. “We designed a barrel with a bunch of holes around it in a giraffe pattern with two layers that forces the giraffes to stretch their tongue and exercise their mouth muscles more than they usually would in captivity.”
Once projects were complete, the Interspecies Sculpture Studio class traveled to Jacksonville, where they presented the enrichment toys to the animals and collaborated with zoo staff to make any necessary adjustments.
“The creativity behind the design for these items and the quality of the products they were able to produce was far above my expectations,” said Danielle Minkus, senior Bird Keeper at Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens. “These students being able to come in, bring a fresh set of eyes, the time and the tools to create all of these things is really awesome.”
Students were able to see their enrichment toys presented to each of the animal species in their habitats under observation and supervision of zoo staff.
“We always want to be communicating that we are providing the best quality of care for our animals and we’re making sure that they’re living their best life here at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens,” said Applied Animal Wellbeing Officer Alexis Hart. “Having others interested in helping us improve the well-being of our animals is really invaluable. At the end of the day everyone’s goal is for these animals to live their best life and having the university help with that is just incredible.”
Beyond the technical and creative achievements, the collaborative partnership also showcases the importance of community engagement for all involved.
“Community partnerships are very valuable to us — they extend what we do on a day-to-day basis and help us hit our mission of saving animals and wild places even further,” said Leanne White, director of learning and conservation engagement.
Opportunities for real-world, hands-on learning outside of the classroom equip FSU students with the skills and knowledge needed to excel during their time at FSU and wherever their future careers may take them.
“I feel especially empowered to pursue my own interests, my own research,” said Audrey Lendvay, a senior studying studio art who created enrichment toys for birds. “I feel very supported by all of the faculty and peers here who have sort of led me to opportunities to engage with either undergraduate research or these really hands-on collaborative projects like Toys for Animals.”
By combining academic studies with formative experiences, FSU students gain valuable insights that help them navigate future career opportunities they may not have considered.
“I think this class honestly taught me about career paths that I didn’t even know existed,” Casey said. “There’s so much research to be done in animal enrichment and kind of interdisciplinary studies, how that can relate to art and design, and that’s just a connection that I never made before.”
Duarte received the 2024-2025 University Teaching Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Major last spring.
“The best part about these extraordinary courses that come up is students get really excited, and sometimes it changes the course of what they’re doing,” Duarte said. “I think that happened this time. There are some students who are really excited about totally new possibilities for what they might do in the future.”
The project came to life through an FSU Spark fundraiser by the College of Fine Arts and a generous gift from Professor Emeritus George Blakely, a longtime advocate for environmental issues and FSU art students, who recently passed away on Nov. 24, 2025.
With strong support from both the university and the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens, plans are currently in progress to further develop the partnership in future semesters.
For more information about the Department of Art visit, art.fsu.edu. To learn more about FSU’s College of Fine Arts, visit cfa.fsu.edu.