The USF Institute for Research in Art (IRA) is the umbrella organization for the Contemporary Art Museum, Graphicstudio, Public Art program, and Art in Health. Part of the University of South Florida College of The Arts, the IRA is dedicated to an international artists' residency program that brings to the University and Tampa Bay community today's most accomplished and influential artists working in the international art arena. Exhibitions, collection development, publication of limited edition graphics and sculpture multiples, commissioned public art works, interdisciplinary arts research, lectures, symposia, workshops and special events are designed to foster awareness about the role of contemporary artists in shaping our culture and society. Participating artists represent the full and diverse spectrum of contemporary art practice including, but not limited to, painting, sculpture, photography, electronic media, and performance.

As the creative center of the University of South Florida, the College of The Arts provides an enriched, creative, and professional environment for tomorrow’s leaders in architecture, art, art history, music, theatre, dance, and design. The college embraces opportunities to embed new and existing arts programming in the rapidly growing regional communities and serves as an integral engine for socioeconomic progress through its research, advocacy, and engagement.

The University of South Florida, a high-impact research university dedicated to student success and committed to community engagement, generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. With campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee, USF serves approxi-mately 50,000 students who represent nearly 150 different countries. U.S. News & World Report has ranked USF as one of the nation’s top 50 public universities for five consecutive years, and this year USF earned its highest ranking ever among all universities public or private. In 2023, USF became the first public university in Florida in nearly 40 years to be invited to join the Asso-ciation of American Universities, a prestigious group of the leading universities in the United States and Canada. Through hundreds of millions of dollars in research activity each year and as one of the top universities in the world for securing new patents, USF is a leader in solving global problems and improving lives. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.