CONSERVATION

The Ca’ d’Zan Terra Cotta Restoration Project, begun in 2015, was completed in October 2018. This involved the restoration of John’s Office balcony and a significant portion of the Belvedere Tower. Historically accurate replicas were fabricated for unsalvageable elements using cast terra cotta and handpainted glazes. This project was sponsored in part by a $500,000 grant from the Department of State, Division of Historical Resources and the State of Florida. Additional funding came from numerous donors including Richard and Cornelia Matson’s gift to help restore John Ringling’s balcony.

Two major conservation projects at the Museum of Art (MOA) were carried out over the past year, the restoration of Gallery 2’s historic floor and the repair and restoration of the cast stone corbels and balustrade on the east entrance façade. The exotic hardwood floor in Gallery 2 (Rubens Gallery) had become a hazard due to deterioration of the adhesive that held the boards in place. Our conservation contractors, EverGreene Architectural Arts, documented the location of more than 5,000 boards and systematically removed, cleaned, and replaced each board in its exact original location. The cast stone corbels and balustrade on the MOA show weathering and biological deterioration and require a comprehensive effort to clean and stabilize these surfaces. This year we accomplished the first phase of the stabilization and waterproofing treatment on the north and south faces at the east end of the MOA.

Additional projects over the past year included the completion of the restoration of historic iron lanterns suspended in the MOA loggia, the repair and reinstallation of Mable’s Rose Garden’s gazebo and two stone sculptures that were damaged during Hurricane Irma, and the documentation, conservation, and restoration of the Ca’ d’Zan swimming pool. Work also began on the eventual conservation and installation of our Cypriot Collection in 2021 by conducting a condition survey on 200 Cypriot objects selected for inclusion in the Gallery 12 installation.

In an exciting conclusion to the year, the conservation department applied for and received a grant in the amount of $176,800 from the Getty Foundation as part of its Conserving Canvas initiative. This grant will support a major conservation treatment of one of the largest paintings in our collection, the 13 x 22’ painting Emperor Justinian by Jean-Joseph BenjaminConstant. The project incorporates training of emerging and mid-career painting conservators through treatment residencies and a training workshop on structural conservation to be held at ArtCare Conservation in Miami. Other grants were awarded in support of the Conservation Fellowship and Ca’ d’Zan terra cotta conservation.

Art Library

The Ringling Art Library supports the research of museum staff and volunteers, as well as students, faculty, and scholars from colleges and universities throughout the state and around the country. The library continues to grow its collections through gift and purchase, and actively borrows materials for the use of certain patrons through interlibrary loan. One of the great treasures of the library is the book collection of John Ringling, whose copy of Rembrandt Paintings in America was conserved this past year. The library continues to provide services to the public and to offer public programs, including a popular book club and conversation series, exploring aspects of the library and its collections in greater detail.

Archives

Archives staff have been busy consolidating The Ringling’s archival holdings, processing archival collections, and making archival materials accessible to researchers. A major area of emphasis has been The Ringling’s institutional records, which are actively being used in support of a number of curatorial projects. Archives staff have worked with four student interns who have contributed to a variety of departmental initiatives, including the processing of circus collections. Staff have provided tours to numerous college classes and other groups, which have helped to raise awareness of the archives as a resource and of archivy as a discipline. Staff have also contributed to the establishment of the Alliance for Response Sarasota, which fosters collaboration on disaster preparedness and response among local cultural institutions.

ART LIBRARY

553 BOOKS PURCHASED

463 BOOKS GIFTED

5,856 PATRONS

351 PROGRAM ATTENDEES ARCHIVES

90% PRINTED MATERIALS COLLECTION PROCESSED

The Ringling Museum received $3.8 million in Non-Recurring Plant Operation and Maintenance (PO&M) funding for certain renovation and restoration projects from Florida State University.

Working in conjunction with Willis Smith and Florida State University Capital Projects, The Ringling was able to steward these funds to accomplish the projects on the Ca’ d’Zan roof, Circus Museum, storm water system, security and Wi-Fi upgrades, and ADA trams.

The Ringling engaged IBA Consultants, Inc., a specialized contractor who works with historic buildings to provide a detailed evaluation and condition assessment of the exterior roof and structures of the Ca’ d’Zan. The Ringling will work with EverGreene Architectural Arts to implement the recommended structural repairs and improvements.

The Circus Museum exterior structures including the roof had deteriorated due to age and weather and were contributing to building leakage during rain storms. In an effort to provide for a more secure exterior envelope, The Ringling and Willis Smith worked in coordination with historic preservation architect Linda Stevenson to evaluate the historic nature and significance of structures that contributed to interior flooding of the building. Such structures were deemed non-historic and non-essential and were removed. In addition, the Circus Museum roof was renovated and warranted for twelve years.

Compromised storm drains on property are located adjacent to the Historic Circus Museum and are an additional contributing factor to building leakage and flooding. Willis Smith worked with AM Engineering to investigate the cause of such failure and implemented repair and re-routing recommendations given the long-term plan for a new Circus Museum.

Due to complementary wiring, switches, and computer systems, we initiated a security camera system and Wi-Fi system upgrade simultaneously. This project required substantial technology based upgrades (hardware and software) and was completed by the end of fiscal year 2019. The Ringling also upgraded and replaced all existing ADA and visitor trams. Ringling Security and Facilities identified requirements necessary for new ADA compliant Visitor Trams and Staff Carts. In coordination with the delivery of the new trams, The Ringling management reversed the tram driving paths to better accommodate visitor traffic and tell the story of John and Mable Ringling.

Our Grounds department’s database of tree records within Treekeeper has been updated utilizing the efforts of volunteers and interns. There are now over 2,200 trees listed in the database which, when accessed, will provide an image and information on the species, the scientific and common name, height and diameter. This database is now available to the public on our website at ringling.org.