Florida Southern Art History and Museum Studies

10/31/2023

A secret Michelangelo room? Yes, please! Who doesn’t love an art historical mystery?

Maybe it’s time for a trip to Florence . . .

Since its discovery nearly 50 years ago, a room beneath the Medici Chapels in Florence covered in sketches has been closed to the public. Next month, that will change.

11/28/2022

“Although it is dusted six times a year, the David has not been deep-cleaned since 2004, for its 500th anniversary.”

The revered statue in Italy is not going to dust itself. That’s where Eleonora Pucci comes in.

10/13/2022

Even the Supreme Court justices were getting their art history on . . .

“It’s not just that Warhol has a different style,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said. “It’s that, unlike Goldsmith’s photograph, Warhol sends a message about the depersonalization of modern culture and celebrity status.”

In a lively argument over copyright law that included many references to pop culture, the justices struggled to determine when a new work transforms an older one.

07/12/2022

A new Westworld-era entry into a debate we art historians will be having forever (and will have often in classes!). Robots offer a *possible* 21st-century answer to a long-simmering dispute over ownership of the Elgin marbles — except that no one wants the robot copy . . .

“It is hard to imagine anyone who wants the marbles to remain at the British Museum being satisfied with something produced in part by robots, when the originals represent to them the high point of human artistry.”

The British Museum has staunchly refused to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. A team of archaeologists are working on a technological solution to the dispute.

04/24/2022

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED (14 years old and up) at Mayfaire by-the-Lake on Saturday, May 7 and/or Sunday, May 8, 2022.

On Mother's Day weekend, the Polk Museum of Art and Polk County Public Schools' Exceptional Student Education Department combine efforts to provide a variety of oppportunities for children of ALL abilities. This year, the Children’s Area will be located at the triangle in front of First Methodist Church with additional oppportunites at the Museum. Volunteers are needed for the following activities:

To become a volunteer, complete the response form linked below by Sunday, May 1.

https://m.signupgenius.com/ #!/showSignUp/20f0b4baaaa29a1fd0-mayfaire2

03/25/2022

Calling all Mocs in ALL disciplines! There’s just ONE WEEK left to apply for the 2022 Polk Museum of Art Summer Internship Program!

APPLICATIONS DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 1!

Florida Southern College students are invited to apply for a competitive, paid 6-week summer internship program at the Polk Museum of Art. The 2022 summer internship program will run from Monday, June 6 through Friday, July 15, 2022. Undergraduate students majoring in any discipline at FSC and entering at least their sophomore year are eligible to apply. Graduating seniors are also permitted to apply.

For Summer 2022, the following (5) departments and specializations are available for the 6-week program (applicants should specify in their cover letters and/or essays their top two preferences):

1. Collections Management/Registration
2. Exhibitions/Curatorial
3. Education
4. Frank Lloyd Wright Center and Museum Visitor Services/Shop
5. Marketing/PR, Membership, and Graphic Design

Interns accepted into the program will receive an honorarium of $1,200 for the 6-week duration of the internship. All interns must be available to work the entire 6-week period of the program. Campus housing will be available at no additional cost for any student requiring it to participate in the program.

For more information and complete details on how to apply, please contact Dr. Alex Rich, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Polk Museum of Art and Chair of Art History and Museum Studies, at [email protected].

Please share widely!

02/19/2022

Multi-sensory installations reflect the vastness of the art historical and museum fields. In the space of a museum or gallery, we can be at our most experimental and develop experiences that elaborate upon the purely visual and resonate with visitors in unexpected ways.

One of the most moving spaces for experiencing the sublime in art — the Rothko Chapel in Houston and a must-visit destination — celebrates 50 years with a new musical tribute.

Tyshawn Sorey’s “Monochromatic Light (Afterlife),” written for the chapel’s anniversary, is a tribute to the first music performed in the space.

12/27/2021

You never know where a masterpiece might turn up. Or if it is actually a masterpiece.

This is why connoisseurship matters — and why arguments over connoisseurship ensue.

Maybe one day you’ll be one of the world’s go-to experts . . .

A man bought a yellowing picture of the Virgin Mary and Child at an estate sale in Massachusetts. Experts believe it is by the renowned German artist Albrecht Dürer.

09/02/2021

We’ve always said there’s a lot to learn from fakes! (We might just have a few over at the Polk Museum of Art . . . 😉)

“These help students know what they are looking at and can be extremely educational when you put them side by side with the real work. Art history students discover that stylistic analysis needs to be supported by technical analysis.”

Experts say discredited works of art often resurface on the market again and again, in part because their owners just won’t take no for an answer.

06/29/2021

A peek into the future of art history and conservation! 😎

High-tech scanning techniques used by geologists, planetary scientists, drug companies and the military are revealing secrets of how artists created their masterpieces.

05/03/2021

Still have no idea what an NFT is? Or why someone would spend $69 million on a digital file anyone can download?

Here’s one of the most clear considerations and clarifications yet of NFTs as conceptual art.

Despite the fad, there’s little that’s fundamentally fresh in the NFT-art space.

04/18/2021

It’s time for our first big Museum Ambassador-sponsored event!

Spread the word! And come join this Thursday night with student-led exhibition tours beginning at 6 PM and the movie screened outdoors at 8 PM! 🎉🎈👯‍♀️

📣Calling all Florida Southern College students!📣

Ever wish you could step back in time and spend a wild cancan-filled evening in Paris at the turn of the 20th century? Now’s your chance!

Grab your blankets and chairs and join us for a FREE outdoor screening of the acclaimed musical "Moulin Rouge!" at the Polk Museum of Art on Thursday, April 22nd, at 8 pm! This movie night is an exclusive event for FSC students and inspired by the Museum’s latest exhibition, "Toulouse-Lautrec and the Belle Époque"!

Want the complete, Bohemian, turn-of-the-century experience? Reserve your spot now for the Pre-Show VIP Reception at the Museum beginning at 6 pm, where you'll get VIP access to food, drinks, and special Museum Ambassador-led tours of the exhibition before the film! You'll also get early access to reserve your spot for the screening!

This event is sponsored by the Museum Ambassador Program and is free and open to all Florida Southern College students. Reserve your spot for the VIP Reception or movie screening now at PolkMuseumofArt.org/MoulinRouge!