VIRES Spring 2023 - Become a member today!

The Moment

The Florida State University School of Theatre transported spectators during their 2021-2022 season to the world of newsboys and muckrakers in old world New York City. In their production of Disney’s “Newsies,” publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raises newspaper prices at the newsies’ expense, so Jack Kelly and his fellow paper kids take action. Based on the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899, the show engulfs viewers in the fight for a livable wage between the children selling newspapers on the street and publishers, Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World and William Randolph Hearst of the New York Journal.

Pictured from L to R: Francesca Alfano as Bowery Beauty 1, Amanda Lee (B.F.A. ’22) as Medda Larkin and Julia Swann (B.F.A. ’22) as Bowery Beauty 2, perform in “Newsies” at FSU’s Richard G. Fallon Theatre.

VIRES

Spring 2023 Volume 15, Issue 1

An award-winning biannual publication of the Florida State University Alumni Association. Named after the first torch in the university seal, VIRES represents strength of all kinds: physical, mental and moral.

A SPECIAL LETTER FROM President Richard McCulllough

PUBLISHER

Julie Decker

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Janecia Britt (B.A. ’17)

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Nia Michel (B.A. ’22)

DESIGNER

Lindsey Masterson

CONTRIBUTORS

Anna Prentiss (B.A. ’09)

Ashlee Barrett (M.A ’13)

Brenna Miller

Emily Clemons MacMillan (B.A. ’17)

Jaime Rager (M.P.A. ‘16)

Jessica Comas (M.F.A. ’04)

Kelli Gemmer B.A. ’14 M.S. ’18)

Lily Chailosky (B.A. ’22)

Marina Brown

Nikki Morse (B.A. ’16, M.A. ’19)

Ola Wlusek

Quentin England (B.S. ’21)

PHOTOGRAPHY

Bill Lax (B.S. ‘90)

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION STAFF alumni.fsu.edu/staff

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On the Cover

In this issue, we invite you to look inside the frame of FSU and see the creativity, joy and power of its arts programs, faculty, students and alumni.

Cover artwork by Lindsey Masterson

alumni.fsu.edu

Pictured above, the “Unconquered” mural sits at the north entrance of Seminole Hall on the FSU Panama City campus. Painted by artist Taylor Shaw, the art is a proud representation of the spirit, creativity and dynamic energy of FSU’s students and faculty. The murals are a product of beautification efforts spearheaded by admissions officer Mia Bennett (B.S. ‘20).

Kelli

(B.A. ’14, M.S. ’18)

Clothes That Tell a Story

PAGE 50

Inside the Costume Shops that help bring FSU’s Theatre, Opera and Dance performances to life.

By Marina Brown

Spaces of Expression

PAGE 57

From Tallahassee to Sarasota, a look at the FSU museums and galleries that both educate the public and embrace and support student expression.

By Janecia Britt (B.A. ’17), Quentin England (B.S. ’21), Nia Michel (B.A. ’22)

I’m so pleased to introduce this special issue of Vires, which is devoted to Florida State University’s excellence in the arts. FSU’s rich tradition in the arts dates to the late 19th century when the West Florida Seminary — now FSU — offered classes in music, drawing, and painting. Today, our programs in dance, film, music, theatre, interior architecture and design, and the fine arts are among the best in the world, offering arts education comparable to leading conservatories. Our faculty include worldrenowned scholars, creators, and educators, and many of our students go on to become leaders and visionaries in the arts world.

Among the highlights:

• The College of Music is the third largest university based music program in the nation with one of the most comprehensive programs of study in music.

• The College of Motion Picture Arts ranks No. 14 on The Hollywood Reporter’s list of the Top 25 American Film Schools.

• The College of Fine Arts is home to nationally ranked programs:

› The Department of Interior Architecture and Design program consistently ranks in the Top 10 in the nation.

› The School of Theatre ranks No. 19 in The Hollywood Reporter’s Top 25 drama schools worldwide.

› The School of Dance houses the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography — the first national center for choreography in the world located at a major research institution — and operates from one of the premier dance facilities in the United States.

FSU also has long played an important role in sharing the performing arts with the community. In 1921, the Florida State College for Women began an Artist Series that has evolved into what we now know as Opening Nights. This year, First Lady Jai Vartikar is serving as honorary chair of Opening Nights as the performing arts series celebrates 25 years of bringing world-class artists to FSU, connecting diverse audiences, and enriching the entire community.

In addition to Opening Nights, FSU hosts a wide variety of performances, recitals, exhibitions, and events on campus that showcase the power of the arts. We are home to several museums and galleries on campus and the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, which, as the State Art Museum of Florida, houses one of the most preeminent art and cultural collections in the United States. Our longstanding relationship with the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota produces some of the country’s most highly regarded professional artists through the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training.

The First Lady and I have always had a deep appreciation for the arts, and we are so proud of Florida State University’s reputation for excellence in both the arts and the sciences. We recognize the importance of promoting and celebrating this university as a place of innovation and discovery as well as profound scholarship and artistic creation.

In this edition of Vires, you’ll read about FSU’s artistic influence abroad and meet alumni who are award-winning interior designers, artists, authors, and sculptors. You’ll get an inside look at FSU’s theatre, dance, and opera costume shops as well as exciting updates from Dean of the College of Music Todd Queen and Opening Nights Director Jennifer Wright.

Please enjoy this special issue, and I encourage you to take in a show or exhibit the next time you visit. I appreciate everything you do to support the arts at FSU and all of our outstanding programs. Your generosity, commitment, and engagement through alumni networks and other activities have helped FSU become one of the Top 20 public universities in the nation. Together, we can lift this university that we all love even higher.

Thank you and Go Noles!

Richard McCullough President, Florida State University

The FSU Alumni Association thanks their Corporate Partners

The arts have a power unlike any other.

all of your

Ira Handelsman (B.S. ’84) in response to a New York Times article about Rhodes Scholar, former Florida State football player and current Harvard neurosurgery resident, Myron Rolle (B.S. ’08, M.D. ’17).

FSU President Richard McCullough @PresMcCullough

“One of the best parts of being president of FSU is meeting our amazing students. To kick off my second year, I’ll be sharing some of my #FSUPicsWithPres. I enjoyed meeting FSU students Elle Schutte and Caylie Bussey on Westcott Plaza!”

See more #FSUPicsWithPres by following President Richard McCullough on Twitter @PresMcCullough

@fsuchiefs

“Thank you, FSU Alumni Association! Join Social Noles today, share FSU content, gain points and win prizes!”

What a night. What a game. What a win for @ fsufootball against the Gators. All capped off with two ‘game balls’ from @coachnorvell caught by senior Nicholas Lohse and junior Connor Stross, both members of our baritone section. Thanks Coach and congratulations on the BIG win. #MCATDT

facebook.com/fsualumniassociation

@fsualumni

linkedin.com/company/fsualumni

@FSUAlumni

Youtube.com/FSUAlumni

vires@alumni.fsu.edu

Matthew Roberts (B.S. ’06) from New York City, New York

A great role model for what a student-athlete can achieve in life. He has had success on all levels of life. I congratulate you for

hard work and dedication. Go Noles!

FSU College of Motion Picture Arts Continues to Rise Among the Best Film Schools in the Nation

By Anna Prentiss (B.A. ’09), Lily Chailosky (B.A. ’22)

Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts has climbed to No. 14, up one spot from last year, on The Hollywood Reporter’s list of the Top 25 American Film Schools.

Recognized as one of the entertainment industry’s premier publications, The Hollywood Reporter measures film schools on the success of their alumni, reputation among film professionals and the quality of faculty, facilities and filmmaking equipment.

Reb Braddock (M.F.A. ’91), dean of the College of Motion Picture Arts, said the rise in the rankings demonstrates the college’s commitment to preparing aspiring filmmakers for success in the entertainment industry.

“We are so proud of our film school family, especially our great alumni who are out there working in every aspect of the movie business,” Braddock said. “They are the real reason why The Hollywood Reporter continues to recognize FSU as a force in our industry.”

The publication cited the college’s training initiatives, tight-knit alumni network and affordability as key factors in distinguishing it as one of the nation’s most prestigious film schools.

The College of Motion Picture Arts is also noted as having one of the finest production facilities in the world, dedicated exclusively to motion picture education. The college functions as an industry-grade production studio, with writers’ rooms, sound stages, post-production suites, animation labs, screening rooms and more.

Its Torchlight Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship educates students in current and emerging business practices of the industry and seeks to provide students with internship opportunities to gain in-depth experience in these areas, which helps with the postgraduation transition into Hollywood.

The film school created a $10,000 Torchlight Diverse Voices in Cinema Grant to amplify the voices of alumni who seek to overcome injustice through the power of

storytelling and hopes to open the application this year. The college is also establishing a second Equity Scholarship that supports first-year students of color.

“These initiatives, along with our annual faculty and staff workshops and diversity events, are continuing our efforts to promote a feeling of inclusion for students of all backgrounds,” Braddock said.

The Torchlight Center also provides opportunities for faculty members to produce their creative work. Notable faculty productions include: “Rachel,” a new feature film by professor Victor Nunez; documentary “Courtroom 3H,” directed by professor Antonio Mendez Esparza; and two documentaries produced by professor Valerie

Scoon, “Invisible History: Middle Florida’s Hidden Roots” and “Daring Women Doctors: Physicians in the 19th Century.”

Noted as one of the most affordable film schools by The Hollywood Reporter, the College of Motion Picture Arts has ensured that tuition covers core production costs of all students’ films, including but not limited to industry-standard camera/sound equipment, lights and electric, production vehicles, catering/craft service, a professional post-production facility and entry fees/expenses for finished student work shown at film festivals. GO

Graduate students

Jim Shashaty (B.S. ’21) and James Ross direct their final projects in the College of Motion Picture Arts.

STUDENT AND ALUMNI SUCCESS

Taylor Ross (B.F.A. ’21), Chase Davis (B.F.A. ’21), Costa Karalis (B.F.A. ’21) and Jack Owen were invited to screen their films at the Cannes Film Festival last spring. Alex McFry (M.F.A. ’19) and William Stead (B.F.A. ’20) received the same opportunity at the 2021 Cannes.

2021 also saw Skylar Theis (B.F.A. ’21) and Will O’Neal as semifinalists in the Student Oscar Documentary competition, and in 2022, a student documentary directed by Ryan Joiner and Landon Watford was a semifinalist in the same competition.

In 2019, Shae Demandt (B.F.A. ’20), an animation and digital arts major, won a Student Academy Award and became one of only 19 student filmmakers from around the world to earn that honor.

As for FSU alumni, that list is getting longer, too. In addition to Oscar winners Barry Jenkins (B.F.A. ’03, B.A. ’03), Adele Romanski (B.F.A. ’04) and Jonathan King (M.F.A. ’92), other successful graduates include:

• Marvel Studios executive producer Stephen Broussard (M.F.A. ’03), who worked on “Iron Man 3,” “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “The Incredible Hulk”

• Melissa Carter Newman (M.F.A. ’96), showrunner of “Stargirl,” “Queen Sugar” and current executive producer of the series, “The Cleaning Lady.”

• Wes Ball (B.F.A. ’02), director of the “Maze Runner” movies.

• Allison Carter (B.F.A. ’04), producer of “Zola,” “American Honey” and “The Dinner.”

• Ali Bell (B.F.A ’99), executive producer of “Baywatch” and “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call.”

Florida State University’s nationally ranked College of Motion Picture Arts prepares aspiring filmmakers such as graduate student Emma Francis (B.A. ’20) for success in the entertainment industry.

FSU Libraries Unveils Art in the Library Program

By Nikki Morse (B.A. ’16, M.A. ’19)

Last fall, Florida State University Libraries hosted its first student artist exhibition at the Paul Dirac Science Library as part of its new Art in the Library program.

The exhibit, titled “People I Know,” featured a collection of paintings by William Rowe (B.F.A. ’22), a graduate student in the FSU Department of Art Education. “My paintings are snapshots of my home life, brief moments that are filtered through recollection and brushwork,” Rowe said. Rowe was the first student selected to participate in the program.

The Art in the Library program aims to enrich the library environment as an aesthetic and academic space. It debuted in Fall 2021 featuring prints by Karl Zerbe, a former professor of Art at FSU, on display in the Robert Manning Strozier Library.

“Art in the Library at FSU Libraries is interested in and invested in bringing the visual and performing arts into the library environment,” said Leah Sherman (B.A. ’10, M.A. ’12, M.S. ’16), visual and performing arts librarian and chair of Art in the Library. “It enriches the library experience for our visitors,

stimulates creative thought and practice among our researchers and engages the broader audience of makers, creators and performers across our campus.”

“People I Know” was the start of a continued effort to bring art into library spaces on campus and further provide opportunities for FSU students to exhibit their work in a public space. Rowe’s exhibit was on view at the Dirac Library throughout the entirety of the fall semester.

The Art in the Library program opened the spring semester with “The Sum of Many Spaces: Landscape Photography and the Sense of Self” also at the Dirac Library.

In “The Sum of Many Spaces,” two student artists express their own sense of place and self through different global yet site-specific expressions.

Danielle Wirsansky (B.A. ’16, M.A. ’18) documents Israel from the dual perspective of Israeli citizen, and orachat la’regah, or “a visitor that comes only for a moment.” Wirsansky is currently pursuing a doctorate in History and her photography focuses on storytelling and themes of anemoia, a longing for a time or place which you’ve never known, may never know and that is always changing.

Similarly, Gizem Solmaz (M.S. ’21) presents place as hometown landscapes, past and present, by capturing the night sky over Ankara, Turkey and Tallahassee. Solmaz is also a doctoral candidate, studying Curriculum and Instruction. Her astrophotography is meant to represent deep feelings digested in space, allowing her to express her own feelings in the moment of artistic creation.

“The Sum of Many Spaces” will remain open at the Dirac library through the end of the spring 2023 semester.

“People I Know” featured a collection of recent paintings by William Rowe (B.F.A. ’22), a graduate student in the FSU Department of Art Education.

The School of Theatre

Most might not know that FSU’s undergraduate Music Theatre Program is a joint program offered through the College of Music and the School of Theatre. As one of the top-tier theatre training programs in the nation, it is a highly competitive program that prepares talented students from around the country for a professional career on the stage.

Students are offered a comprehensive curriculum with courses in theatre, music and dance to provide them with the training and skills necessary to meet the demands of a challenging industry. In addition to coursework, students have various opportunities to perform each year, including two musicals each season. Graduating seniors in the Music Theatre program also have the opportunity to participate in a Senior Showcase each spring in New York City. Students perform during the showcase for directors, talent agents and casting directors from all over the United States.

Through the years, the FSU School of Theatre has also maintained a strong reputation in the Tallahassee community and beyond for its studentrun productions that stun viewers with professional quality performances, dance, music, costumes and staging.

SEE

WATCH NOW

gonol.es/TheatreOnline

LEARN MORE theatre.fsu.edu

GIVE TODAY gonol.es/Give2FineArts

All this work is grounded in building and maintaining a strong sense of community, one of three core values guiding the college’s strategic vision for the next few years.

Dr. Todd Queen Dean of the College of Music

By Emily Clemons MacMillan (B.A. ’17)

When Todd Queen considered leaving his role at Louisiana State University to become dean at the Florida State University College of Music, there were a few specific factors that attracted him to the role. FSU has long had a top notch music school and currently offers one of the best music education programs in the world.

If you add in outstanding partnerships with the Colleges of Fine Arts, oversight of the world-renowned Marching Chiefs and a wealth of talented faculty and staff, it’s easy to see why Queen accepted the job. Ultimately, however, it wasn’t the prestige, the accolades or the talent that sold him on the role—it was the community, both at the University and in Tallahassee.

“We had never been to Tallahassee before, but when we visited during the pandemic, we really fell in love with the city,” Queen said. “And Florida State happens to have a tremendous College of Music in a great, top-20 university!”

The university community has always felt like home to Queen. As a firstgeneration college student at Brigham Young University, he felt so at home in the university setting that he decided he never wanted to leave. After finishing at BYU as a performance major, he earned his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at the Eastman School of Music.

He then began his career at Colorado State University as assistant professor of voice and director of the Colorado State Opera Theatre, working his way to chair of the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance in the College of Liberal Arts.

In his next role as dean and Penniman family professor of music at the LSU College of Music & Dramatic Arts, he updated the undergraduate curriculum to meet the needs of modern artists by including courses on entrepreneurship and arts leadership. He also led the college in a $60 million fundraising campaign that included a $4 million gift, the largest in the college’s history.

Queen isn’t slowing down, he’s got big plans for FSU as well. One such plan is a major building update that will be transformational to the College of Music, including 35,000 additional square feet for the Housewright Music Building. But he wants College of Music alumni not to worry—he assures that the new plans will not impact the beloved tree that anchors the courtyard.

He also intends to work with band directors Patrick Dunnigan, David Plack and Chandler Wilson to apply some of his learnings from LSU’s Tiger Marching Band and enhance the gameday experience with the Marching Chiefs.

All this work is grounded in building and maintaining a strong sense of community, one of three core values guiding the college’s strategic vision for the next few years.

“This FSU family thing that we all talk about is real,” Queen said. “You know, you always want to leave a place better than you found it, and it was already pretty great. So I have a lot of work to do!”

BRIDGING FLORENCE FLORIDA STATE

FSU INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS’ STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH FLORENCE

By Kelli Gemmer (B.A. ’14, M.S. ’18)

The relationship between Florida State University and Florence, Italy, flows deep, and it all began at the circus.

It was the summer of 1964 and student performers in the FSU Flying High Circus were on tour throughout Greece, Spain, France and Italy. The then Dean of Student Affairs Roscoe “Ross” Oglesby and Literature Professor Conrad “Gene” Tanzy, who accompanied the students, admired the city’s rich history as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.

Florida State and Italian officials arranged performances outside of Florence in the ancient Roman theater. It was here during these performances — as alumni recall — that the vision for an FSU program in Florence was born.

In 1966, the university launched the FSUadministered pilot program in Florence and Tanzy established the Hotel Capri as the first FSU Florence Study Center. That fall, 120 students, six faculty members and Tanzy, as program director, arrived in Florence for the seven-month program.

Just two months after their arrival, tragedy struck the city. The Arno River flooded Florence, leaving mud and debris in its wake. The city

suffered tremendous damage and museums, archives and libraries were covered in mud.

Instead of heading home to Tallahassee, FSU students and faculty responded to the citywide call for volunteers to assist in recovery efforts and helped save important works of art damaged by the flood. The city’s residents dubbed them, along with other international students, “Gli Angeli del Fango,” or “Mud Angels.”

The Mud Angels paved the way for the Florence program to exist in its form today. In 2016, the program celebrated its 50th anniversary and honored over 60 alumni and the Mud Angels who returned to the study center for the anniversary of the flood, and a reunion, where they were celebrated by current students.

Today, the FSU Florence program offers four sessions throughout the year and a wide range of class curricula including art history, hospitality, humanities, Italian language and civilization, history, political science, mathematics, business, entrepreneurship, fashion design, photography and drawing. The program also provides students with the opportunity to use the city as the classroom and become immersed in daily Florence life and culture.

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