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. 

The post FSU Museum of Fine Arts opens new performance exhibition exploring work of father, daughter appeared first on Florida State University News.

 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.  

The post FSU Department of Art Education becomes Department of Arts Leadership, Education & Therapy appeared first on Florida State University News.

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.

The post FSU’s Ringling Museum of Art Executive Director Steven High to retire appeared first on Florida State University News.

Opening Nights at Florida State University’s Development Council has selected Ron Sachs as its chair for the 2024-2025 season.

In this role, Sachs, a Miami native and founder/chairman emeritus of Tallahassee-based Sachs Media, will be an advocate for Opening Nights by strengthening the relationship between the performing arts program and the community.

“For many years, our family and work family have been strong supporters and sponsors of Opening Nights for its wonderful track record of bringing some of the greatest new and legendary talents in the world to our Tallahassee community,” Sachs said. “By creating and sustaining this positively impactful performing arts series, FSU has also helped to consistently unite our community, region, and state on the common ground of enjoying world class entertainment.”

Sachs launched Sachs Media in 1996 after three years as director of communications for the late Gov. Lawton Chiles. The 28-year-old firm is nationally ranked and respected for its meaningful work for clients in public, private and non-profit sectors.

Sachs is an Emmy Award-winning newspaper, magazine and television journalist. He worked on projects that generated local, statewide, national and worldwide attention on issues such as prejudice and discrimination, hurricane safety, financial literacy, veterans’ well-being, safe driving, non-partisan political dialogue and rock ‘n’ roll.

Sachs has been a sponsor of Opening Nights since 2011. Over the years, Sachs Media and the Sachs family have sponsored acts including Diana Krall, Tony Bennett, Smokey Robinson, the Righteous Brothers, the Temptations & Four Tops, and most recently, the sold-out “Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to the Beatles with Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.”

“We are so pleased that Ron has stepped up to chair the Opening Nights Development Council as the overall program continues to evolve for both Florida State University and the Leon County community,” said Michael Blachly, interim director of Opening Nights.

In his 34 years in Tallahassee, Sachs has served as chairman of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of the Big Bend’s board of directors and annual fundraising campaign. Sachs twice donated his firm’s services toward the passage of the half-penny sales tax initiative, which has benefited Leon County Public Schools by generating tens of millions of dollars. Sachs also conceived Tallahassee’s “Best & Brightest” scholarship program that recognizes and rewards high school seniors for their academic achievements and selfless service. The program has honored more than 2,500 students in 19 years, with nearly $1 million.

Sachs earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida, and he hopes to someday earn an FSU graduate degree. He is married to Gay Webster-Sachs, and is father to daughters Samantha Jane Sachs, Julie Sachs Hunter and the late Aimee Nicole Sachs.

For more information, visit https://openingnights.fsu.edu/about/development-council/.

The post Opening Nights at FSU announces new chair appeared first on Florida State University News.