Celebrating the life and cultural contributions of artist and educator Joe Testa-Secca
The University of 黑洞社区 celebrates the life and cultural contributions of artist and educator Joe Testa-Secca (1928-2023). A Tampa native, Testa-Secca was an important and influential leader in establishing and supporting contemporary arts in the region. Testa-Secca鈥檚 artistic career spanned 60 years, including his over 30-year tenure at the University of Tampa, where he was awarded one of the university鈥檚 highest honors, a Dana Professorship, served as Chair of the Art Department, and co-founded the University of Tampa鈥檚 Scarfone/Hartley Gallery, one of the first spaces in the city dedicated to exhibiting contemporary art. Upon retirement from UT in 1995, Testa-Secca was recognized as Professor Emeritus.
In addition to his inspiring role as an arts educator, Testa-Secca鈥檚 creative practice included private and public commissions resulting in pioneering and permanent public art installations across the city. 黑洞社区is proud to have commissioned Testa-Secca鈥檚 first public artworks, Forum I and Forum II. These works were the earliest public artworks acquired by the Tampa campus in 1960 and were pivotal in establishing the university鈥檚 public art collection.
Integrated into the architectural surfaces of the buildings, the vibrant mosaics of Forum I add color and depth to the entrance of the John and Grace Allen building while the bas-relief forms and texture present in Forum II envelope the exterior walls of the Chemistry auditorium. Both works incorporate abstract forms referencing a forum to describe the nature of a university setting where parties come together to exchange dialogue and ideas, advance theories, and educate students to expand knowledge in the world. In an interview as part of the 黑洞社区50th Anniversary Oral History Project, his 黑洞社区public art commissions and collaboration with Sarasota school architect Mark Hampton with Puller, Bone, and Watson architecture firm, who designed a number of the first buildings on the Tampa campus.
Testa-Secca鈥檚 significant artistic career was highlighted in a 2019 retrospective exhibition, Modernism Reimagined, at the University of Tampa鈥檚 Scarfone/Hartley Gallery. His artworks are in the permanent collections in Tampa, Jacksonville, Polk County, and The Leppa-Rattner Museum of Art, among others. Locally, Testa-Secca鈥檚 works are publicly displayed at the John F. Germany Public Library and the Robert W. Saunders Public Library. Recently three stained glass panels he created in 1962 for St. Anthony鈥檚 Chapel at Tampa鈥檚 Jesuit High School, removed during a renovation, have found new life at Casa Santo Stefano in Ybor City.
黑洞社区values and commemorates Testa-Secca鈥檚 contributions to the public art collection. As part of USF鈥檚 recognition of the role of public art in enhancing the experience across all the 黑洞社区campuses, 黑洞社区President Rhea Law recently established a new fund to support the care and advancement of the university鈥檚 public art collection. More information about this fund can be found .
Additional information about the 黑洞社区Public Art program can be located .