FSU to host 2026 Festival of the Creative Arts

Mon, 01/12/26
FCA 2026 logo

糖心vlog鈥檚  will host the 2026 , a campuswide event that highlights the voices, talents and creativity of FSU faculty and students in February and early March.

Departments from across campus will celebrate the innovation and creative excellence that results from combining various modes of expression and disciplines.

鈥淓ach year, the Festival of the Creative Arts celebrates interdisciplinary engagement across campus with events that include faculty and student participation,鈥 said Iain Quinn, festival director and FSU鈥檚 Research Fellow in the arts and humanities. 鈥淚n addition to ongoing research conversations that develop from one festival to another, there are also new collaborations and multiple first performances.鈥

Several events are offered for K-12 students and families, including 鈥淚t鈥檚 the Weather!鈥 at the  on Saturday, Feb. 7. There will also be a premiere of a new performance work involving digital art and music.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an excellent opportunity to learn about the historic and contemporary connections between art and science with multiple hands-on activities,鈥 Quinn said. 鈥淭he festival is always a special opportunity for everyone to be inspired by the creative spirit that defines FSU.鈥

All events are free of charge, and no reservations are required. For more information, visit .


The full list of events includes:

FRIDAY, FEB. 6

Poets at the Party
7:30 鈥 8:30 p.m.
Nancy Smith Fichter Dance Theatre, Katherine W. Montgomery Hall

A special collaboration between dance, hospitality, music and poetry featuring multiple premieres across disciplines.

Participants: Darcie Ogando Alm谩nzar, Jacob Andrews, Lilian Baker, Shea Boeker, Jacob Grice, Isabelle Hagley, Caroline Laganas, Ra煤l Parra, Natalie Eleanor Patterson, Camille Pepper, Christell Victoria Roach, Jan Schwalbe, Sophia Upshaw, Hugh Wilhelm, Kuan-Yu Yang and members of the FSU Trombone Choir. 

SATURDAY, FEB. 7

It鈥檚 the Weather!
10 a.m. 鈥 2 p.m.
Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee

Come and learn about the weather and nature in works of art while discovering scientific facts about the world around us. This event features hands-on activities led by faculty from the departments of art history, art education and music education, as well as the first performance of a new interdisciplinary work with digital art and music. Great for K-12 students.

Participants: Angelina Ciardi, Eren G眉mr眉k莽眉o臒lu, Ann Harrington, Stephanie Leitch, Marlo Ransdell, Keith Roberson, Sara Scott Shields, the FSU Guitar Ensemble and the National Weather Service Tallahassee.

SUNDAY, FEB. 8

Storytime Under the Stars
6 鈥 7 p.m.
Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee

Experience an evening of nostalgia and wonder at the Fogg Planetarium, where classic stories come to life under a celestial canopy of stars. This event is specially designed for young children and their families.

Participant: Christine Hansen.

TUESDAY, FEB. 10

Arts-Health-Humanities Symposium VI
12 鈥 2:30 p.m.
Claude Pepper Center

This annual festival meeting of faculty and students 鈥 from design, medicine, music education, music therapy and musicology 鈥 continues conversations about current research and future interdisciplinary collaborations. Includes poster presentations by art therapy and music therapy.

Participants: Michael Bakan, Daejin Kim, Adriana Lizardi-V谩zquez, Parintorn 鈥淧im鈥 Pankaew, James Riley, Tana Jean Welch and Racheal Yap.

THURSDAY, FEB. 12

Classics Symposium
5:30 鈥 7 p.m.
Beth Moor Lounge, Longmire Building

Join a celebration of Ancient Greek and Latin poetry featuring an evening of readings of ancient texts and creative performances by students and faculty.

Coordinator: Virginia Lewis.

MONDAY, FEB. 16

Nickel Boys
6 鈥 9 p.m.
Askew Student Life Center

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, 鈥淣ickel Boys鈥 chronicles the powerful friendship between two young African American men sentenced to Nickel Academy. Co-presented with the .

Participants: Ted T. Ellis, Keithen Mathis, Dennis Moore and Mark Schlakman.

TUESDAY, FEB. 17

The Art of Walking
12 鈥 1:15 p.m.
Bradley Reading Room, Strozier Library

Walking in the city is not only a form of physical exercise and transportation, but a social and cultural practice described as fl芒nerie. The lecture will amble through some of the major French figures who wrote about the fl芒neur鈥檚 and fl芒neuse鈥檚 kaleidoscopic encounters with the sights and sounds of urban life. Co-presented with the .

Participants: Aim茅e Boutin and Meaghan McSorley.

FRIDAY, FEB. 20

Lay of the Land
Symposium: 2 鈥 5:30 p.m.; Opening: 6 鈥 8 p.m.
Facility for Arts Research

鈥淟ay of the Land鈥 is a Department of Art faculty exhibition and symposium exploring the beauty, complexity and fragility of the landscapes we inhabit.

Participants: Department of Art Faculty.

SUNDAY, FEB. 22

Chamber Music of Frank Martin
4 鈥 5:30 p.m.
Longmire Recital Hall

A concert devoted to the music of the great Swiss composer Frank Martin (1890-1974), offering an exceptional opportunity to hear his distinctive voice across numerous contrasting ensembles.

Participants: Stijn De Cock, Geoffrey Deibel, Amy Dill, Suzanne Lommler, Mary Matthews, Dylan Principi, Pamela Ryan, Gregory Sauer, Natalie Sherer, Marcy Stonikas, Shannon Thomas and Valerie Trujillo.

TUESDAY, FEB. 24

The Contemporary Film 鈥 Finding Your Family
6 鈥 9 p.m.
Askew Student Life Center

An evening of cinematic exploration with panel discussions about the many definitions of family. Screening of a collection of student shorts followed by a Q&A conversation with members of FSUFILM faculty.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEB. 27-28

24-Hour Create-A-Thon
Feb. 27, 4 p.m. 鈥 12 a.m.; Feb. 28, 8 a.m. 鈥 4 p.m.
Pitches, Performances, Awards: Feb. 28, 2 鈥 4 p.m.
Innovation Hub

FSU students from across campus work in interdisciplinary teams to develop new works that celebrate creativity as a foundation of innovation across the disciplines. Registration opens Jan. 26.

Coordinator: Ken Baldauf.

SUNDAY, MARCH 1

Interlocking Art: A Mixed Media Gala
6 鈥 9 p.m.
Student Union

Club Downunder and the Department of Student Engagement present an evening of student creativity across the arts, culminating in an annual fashion show.

Exhibitions


Elizabeth A. Cecil (Curator)
Co-presented with the .
Museum of Fine Arts


An installation and animated film exploring themes of memory, place, and resilience in the Tallahassee Landscape.
Museum of Fine Arts

Lay of the Land
Department of Art Faculty
Facility for Arts Research

The Art of Healing 鈥 Ted T. Ellis
Robert Manning Strozier Library