Art as a Public Good: The University Gallery’s Community Mission

At Florida Atlantic University, we believe the arts are essential to civic engagement, creative discovery, and lifelong learning. Our University Galleries exemplify that mission every day, enriching the cultural life of our community while cultivating the next generation of artists and thinkers.

Beyond presenting outstanding artwork, the University Galleries serve as a vital incubator for future artists. Through exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and educational programs, students gain direct exposure to professional artistic practice while local residents encounter the creativity that defines our region. The galleries create meaningful connections between campus and community, inspiring young artists, supporting emerging talent, and showcasing the rich cultural diversity of South Florida.

As Dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, I am proud to celebrate and share the remarkable exhibitions that make Florida Atlantic University’s University Galleries such an important cultural resource for our students and the broader South Florida community. For more than four decades, the galleries have presented innovative exhibitions featuring local, regional, national, and international artists while providing free public access to the visual arts and arts education programming.

Open to the public, I encourage the community to explore our upcoming public shows, including:

• “Indigenuity: Contemporary Indigenous Craft” in the Schmidt Center Gallery & Public Space, celebrates the enduring contributions of Indigenous artists to American culture, highlighting contemporary makers whose work transforms traditional craft media into powerful expressions of identity, memory, innovation, and community. Presented in conjunction with the United States 250th anniversary, the exhibition will feature works by acclaimed creators including Marie Watt, Jeffrey Gibson, Dyani White Hawk, Joseph Velasquez and many others. Exhibition: January 14 – March 7, 2027
  Free opening reception: Thursday, January 14, 4:30 – 8:30 pm
  Closing Festival: Saturday, March 6 will include live performances and a craft sale.
• “A Quiet Witness: The Landscapes of A.E. Backus and The Florida Highwaymen” highlighting FAU’s extensive Backus collection will be in the Ritter Art Gallery. Albert Ernest Backus (1906-1990) was a largely self-taught artist from Fort Pierce, Florida who created iconic images of the timeless beauty of the Florida landscape. Whether in the glades, the beaches, the rivers, the savannas, or the back country, his paintings capture a unique sense of place that is instantly recognizable and beloved. Shown alongside his protegees, the famous Florida Highwaymen, this show promises to bring joy to all. Exhibition: January 28 – March 21, 2027
  Free opening reception: Thursday, January 28, 4 – 9 pm

BY:
Michael J. Horswell, Ph.D. is the Dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters at Florida Atlantic University, where he has provided academic and strategic leadership since 2017. A professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature, he advances interdisciplinary education across the arts, humanities and social sciences while strengthening the College’s connection to and impact throughout South Florida.