The University of Florida’s School of Art + Art History welcomes interdisciplinary artist and writer Coco Fusco to the faculty as Professor and Andrew Banks Family Endowed Chair. For nearly three decades, Fusco has performed and exhibited work around the world on the politics of gender, race, war, and identity. In addition, she has published and lectured extensively on these topics.
Fusco’s most recent book, Dangerous Moves: Performance and Politics in Cuba, was published in October 2015 by Tate Publishing (UK). She is represented by Alexander Gray Associates in New York where her latest installation Confidencial, Autores Firmantes (2015), and other works that critically examine the politics of identity, military power, the history of racial thought, and post-revolutionary Cuba, are on exhibition from January 9 through February 6, 2016.
“Coco Fusco’s work emphasizes critical inquiry in the context of Latino/a and Latin American art, culture, and activism,” says Maria Rogal, interim director of the School of Art + Art History. “Her presence on campus and in the classroom promises to transform our ideas about art and its uses, not only at UF but beyond. Our students will learn new ways to connect the artistic to the political.”
For her part, Fusco is excited to join UF’s faculty. “This position offers me a wonderful opportunity to join a vibrant intellectual and creative community and to advance my own research on contemporary Cuban culture,” Fusco says.
Fusco’s work was selected for the All the World’s Futures exhibition curated by Okwui Enwezor for the 56th Venice Biennale. Her awards include Guggenheim, Fulbright, US Artists, and CINTAS Fellowships. Through the years her work has been presented at numerous biennials and festivals and has been shown at Tate Liverpool, The Museum of Modern Art, The Walker Art Center, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona. Fusco is the author of A Field Guide for Female Interrogators (2008), The Bodies that Were Not Ours (2001), and English is Broken Here: Notes on Cultural Fusion in the Americas (1995). For more, visit her website.
About the University of Florida School of Art + Art History
Situated in the College of the Arts, we nurture a culture of critical inquiry in scholarly and creative pursuits and empower each individual with knowledge, skills, and insight to thoughtfully respond to our changing world. We offer generous graduate assistantships, teaching and research opportunities, and a student-centered environment. Situated in Gainesville, Florida, a relaxed and affordable college town, we have great weather, a vibrant maker/entrepreneurial culture, and a beautiful natural environment perfect for outdoor activities. In short, it’s a great place to go to school. Our programs of study are accredited by NASAD and include Art History (BA, MA, PhD), Art Education (BA, MA), Museum Studies (MA), Studio Art–Art + Technology, Ceramics, Creative Photography, Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, and Sculpture (BFA, MFA), Graphic Design (BFA, MFA), and Visual Art Studies (BA). Graduate program application deadlines are January 10 for PhD/MA in Art History and February 1 for MFA in Studio Art (all concentrations). Visit our website to learn more.
