The Ringling Museum | October 2012 – January 2013

RINGLING

THE JOHN AND MABLE RINGLING MUSEUM OF ART

5401 Bay Shore Road Sarasota, FL 34243

www.ringling.org

Accredited by the American Association of Museums

Governor

The Honorable Rick Scott

The Florida State University

Dr. Eric J. Barron, President

Office of the Provost

Sally E. McRorie, Vice President for Faculty Development

Executive Director

Steven High

Board of Directors

Clifford L. Walters, III*, Chair

Michael E. Urette, Vice Chair

Michael R. Pender Jr.*, Treasurer

Michéle D. Redwine*, Secretary

Martin A. Arch

Sara A. Bagley*

Madeleine H. Berman*

Daniel J. Denton

Rebecca Donelson*

George R. Ellis

Kenneth J. Feld

Casey Gonzmart

Priscilla M. Greenfield

J. Roderick (Rod) Heller, III

Patrick J. Hennigan

Paul G. Hudson*

Dorothy C. Jenkins

Thomas W. Jennings

Patricia R. Lombard*

Thomas B. Luzier*

John M. McKay*

Nancy J. Parrish*

Roger C. Pettingell*

Ina L. Schnell*

Jane Skogstad*

Linda Streit

Howard C. Tibbals*

James B. Tollerton*

Helga M. Wall-Apelt*

Ex-Officio Board Members

Wilmer I. Pearson*, Chair, Volunteer Services Advisory Council

James M. LeTellier*, President, Members Council

Joan Uranga*, President Docent Advisory Council

Collections are the very core of a museum’s mission. We rely on our collections to provide the foundation and content that supports the Ringling’s educational programs, outreach, scholarship and interpretation. Our collection began with John Ringling’s vision to leave a lasting legacy to the citizens of Florida. He set out to build a collection, and an art museum, that would carry his and Mable’s names forever. But the growth of the collection didn’t end with Mr. Ringling’s passing. Since 1936 the collection has expanded in remarkable ways and diverse directions, but always with his initial vision at its center. With this issue of RINGLING we celebrate our many different and evolving collections.

One of the first works that John Ringling acquired for the collection was Paolo Veronese’s Rest on the Flight into Egypt. This beautiful painting is the centerpiece of our much anticipated exhibition, Paolo Veronese: A Master and His Workshop in Renaissance Venice, organized by our Curator of European Art, Dr. Virginia Brilliant. This exhibition is the most significant look at Veronese in more than twenty years and highlights Veronese’s status as Renaissance Venice’s most elegant master. Featuring new scholarship on Veronese, this exhibition will only be on view in Sarasota.

Two other exhibitions, Mythic Creatures of China and the Warren J. and Margot Coville Photography Collection, are drawn from sizable individual collections that came into the Ringling’s holdings in 2001 and 2012, respectively, and demonstrate the importance of continuing to attract new works and collectors to our museum. Mythic Creatures features more than 100 ceramic sculptures from the Ira and Nancy Koger Collection of Asian Ceramics, an extensive collection with a focus on Blanc de Chine of the 17th and 18th centuries. The Coville Photography Collection is our newest collection given earlier this year by Warren and Margot Coville and contains more than 1,000 photographs spanning the 20th century. The exhibition will include around 100 photographs that highlight the different areas of strength of the collection, from the photo-secession to photojournalism.

The Ringling Museum’s collections are constantly evolving and changing. Since 2010, the Museum has accepted 1,542 items into the collection. Some of these works were acquired by purchase by the museum but the vast majority came to us through the generosity of collectors/donors. To celebrate and highlight the importance of their gifts and to showcase the many areas in which we collect, the Ringling is proud to present in the West Galleries an exhibition called New Acquisitions, featuring more than fifty acquisition highlights from the past 2 ½ years. The exhibition will showcase new acquisitions in paintings, sculpture and prints, Asian art, decorative arts, contemporary glass, antiquities, photography and circus objects and posters.

I hope you will take the opportunity to visit New Acquisitions to experience firsthand the dynamic and changing landscape of the Ringling’s collections and how, perhaps, you too can leave a legacy for the future through a gift or donation.

Steven High Executive Director

Cover & page 4: Paolo Veronese, Rest on the Flight into Egypt, ca. 1570, oil on canvas, Bequest of John Ringling, 1936, SN 82, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Fla. © The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Fla.

* Sarasota/Manatee County resident

RINGLING is produced by the Marketing & Communications Department of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art

The Ringling Legacy The Ringling Vision

4–5 Paolo Veronese: A Master and His Workshop in Renaissance Venice

A look behind the scenes with Dr. Virginia Brilliant, Curator of European Art

6–7 The Warren J. and Margot Coville Photography Collection

Inside the collection with Dr. Matthew McLendon, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

8 New Acquisitions for the Ringling Collection

Highlights of new acquisitions from all corners of the complex on view in the Museum of Art West Galleries

R1-R16 Calendar-at-a-Glance

Save the dates. Highlights of new programs including Collecting Recollections: Oral History at the Ringling Museum, Photography on Film and Yoga on the Terrace

Plus, a new season of Member favorites including Gallery Walk & Talks, ViewPoints, and performances from the Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota and the Artists of Our Time from the Hermitage Artists Retreat

9 Ringling Around the World

Follow works from the permanent collection as they travel around the world

10-11 A Grand Gift for the Circus Museum

A mural documenting The Greatest Show on Earth

12–13 New Stages: Contemporary Performance at the Historic Asolo Theater

A new season and new artists explore the narrative of human relations

14–15 Membership and The Power of Philanthropy

Inspiring gifts and kind words from our treasured Museum family

Paolo Veronese, Portrait of a Man, 1576–78, oil on canvas, Gift of J. Paul Getty, 71.PA.17, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. © J. Paul Getty Trust.

photo by: Heiko Kalmbach

Wm. Woodward, The Greatest Show on Earth (detail) ,

Gift of Kenneth Feld, 2012

Related programs

Members Only Preview

Thursday December 6, 5:00-7:00 pm

Join fellow Members and be the first to see the special exhibition. Light Bites and cash bar. Open to all Ringling Museum members and their guests based on their guest benefits. Call 941.360.7332 for information.

ViewPoint: Grand Collectors and their Grand Canvases: Veronese in England

Saturday, December 8, 10:30 am

Historic Asolo Theater

Peter Humfrey

Professor of Art History, University of St. Andrews, Scotland

Save the Dates: Symposium: Paolo Veronese

Friday, March 8 - Saturday, March 9

Look for Gallery Walk & Talks

January - April, 2013

Purchase the catalogue accompanying the exhibition Paolo Veronese: A Master and His Workshop in Renaissance Venice.

$55.00 / On sale in the Museum Store in December 2012

PAOLO VERONESE: A Master and His Workshop in Renaissance Venice

When I began working at the Ringling Museum in 2008, I was charged with developing exhibitions based around major works in our Old Master collection. The Museum owns many great paintings, but Veronese’s Rest on the Flight into Egypt stood out. A public favorite, the work was also the first Old Master painting John Ringling ever acquired. Ringling, who loved Italy and Venice especially, also later purchased two portraits related to the artist. I soon decided that I wanted to build an exhibition around these three works! Paolo Veronese: A Master and His Workshop in Renaissance Venice (December 7, 2012–April 14, 2013), is that exhibition.

Paolo Veronese (1528–1588) is one of the giants of Venetian painting. For centuries, visitors to Venice have been awestruck by Veronese’s grand ceiling paintings and large Biblical feasts. Yet throughout his enormously successful career, Veronese and his workshop also created imposing altarpieces and smaller religious paintings for private devotion or collectors, portraits and episodes drawn from ancient mythology. He was also an outstanding draughtsman. In this exhibition, you will discover many of the finest paintings and drawings by Veronese now in North American museums and private hands, as well as a selection of prints after the artist.

When you visit the exhibition, there will be a lot to look at – more than seventy paintings, drawings, prints, autographed letters and textiles. But keep an eye out for some of my favorite things:

• Veronese drew and painted the same subjects again and again, and you will have several chances in the show to look at groups of paintings and drawings with the same subject. Challenge yourself to figure out how the artist got from drawing to painting, and how and when and why he changed his mind!

• Veronese reused successful figures and motifs over and over again in his paintings and drawings. The angel in the left-hand corner of the Ringling’s Rest has a “twin” in another painting in the exhibition. Can you find him?

• Some of the most splendid silks made during the Renaissance come from Venice, and Veronese excelled at depicting them. In the exhibition, several fine and rarely seen textiles lent to us by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will be displayed beside paintings in the exhibition that feature marvelous draperies, offering you a chance to compare real and ideal. An extra set of labels in the show will also tell you a little more about the fabulous fabrics and glorious garments in the paintings.

• The exhibition concludes with a little Art of Our Time, a giant photograph featuring Veronese’s Feast in the House of Levi, Thomas Struth’s 1992 Galleria dell’Accademia 1, Venice (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), which shows tourists looking at paintings by Veronese.

In 1660, Marco Boschini described Veronese’s work: “This is not painting, it is magic that casts a spell on people who see it.” I hope that in this exhibition, you too will experience a glimpse of Veronese’s magic.

Dr. Virginia Brilliant Curator of European Art

Paolo Veronese, Allegory of Painting, 1560s, oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Whitcomb, 36.30, Detroit Institute of Arts. © Detroit Institute of Arts.

Paolo Veronese, Head of Saint Michael, ca. 1563-65, Oil on canvas, Blanton Museum of Art, Austin , Tex., 587.1999 © Blanton Museum.

Related programs

A Conversation with the Collector: Warren J. Coville

Wednesday, November 14, 7:30 pm

Historic Asolo Theater

Be a part of the conversation between photography collector Warren J. Coville and Dr. Matthew McLendon, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, as an introduction to this significant gift to the Museum.

Photography on Film

Thursday, November 15, 5:30 - 9:00 pm

Friday & Saturday, November 16 & 17, 1:00 - 4:30 pm

Historic Asolo Theater

• Berenice Abbot: A View of the 20th Century

• Master of Photography: Edward Steichen

• Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Impassioned Eye

ViewPoint: Forming History

Saturday, November 3, 10:30 am

Historic Asolo Theater

Thomas Southall, Independent Curator, Author, and Lecturer

Southall reveals the formal elements that make a powerful and lasting photograph, thus helping us re-examine our understanding of the art of photography. Reception follows the lecture.

Gallery Walk and Talks

Thursday, November 29:

Peter Acker, Commercial Photographer

Thursday, January 31: Sally Pettibon, Photographer, RCAD Faculty

Close Ups: Conversations in the galleries with two of our community’s photographers. Join us as they share their insights on specific works in the Coville exhibition.

The Warren J. and Margot Coville PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION

Matthew McLendon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

One of the most enjoyable times in any curator’s professional life is when he or she has the opportunity to work with passionate collectors—collectors who acquire art out of a true love for a specific media, genre, style, etc. and not simply for “portfolio diversification.” Warren and Margot Coville are collectors whose passion for their collections is infectious. It is also every curator’s hope that during his or her tenure at an institution, he or she will be able to play a significant role in the building of the collection for the future of the museum and the audiences it serves. I am, therefore, doubly fortunate. In coming to the Ringling I have had the great pleasure to spend time with Warren and Margot, and now, through their gift of more than 1,000 photographs, I, along with my colleagues, have been a part of the significant development of our photography collection.

The generosity of Warren and Margot Coville is well known to Sarasota residents. Their philanthropy has greatly enriched some of our most outstanding cultural and civic organizations; The Asolo Repertory and Conservatory Theaters, The Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Sarasota, and this is not their first gift to The Ringling. The Covilles previously donated around 150 photographs to the Museum. Together, their gift is the largest gift of photography – and one of the most important donations of art – in the history of the Ringling.

Warren, who instigated the couple’s photography collection (Margot has assembled an equally impressive collection of glass) has a long history with the medium that in many ways came to define the twentieth century. As a war photographer aboard a B-17 bomber during World War II, Warren acquired an intimate knowledge of photography and, more importantly for his later career, the process of photo development. Returning from the War, Warren worked as a traveling portrait photographer before eventually co-founding ABC Photography and specializing in innovations in photo development. After retirement, Warren was free to pursue his passion for the photographic image.

The Warren J. and Margot Coville Photography Collection comprises images spanning the twentieth century ending with the first global event of the twenty-first century, the attack on the World Trade Center. It includes iconic images such as a personal favorite, Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Rue Mouffetard, in which a young boy swaggers down the street, wine under each arm, the picture of youthful self-satisfaction. The majority of the collection falls under the broad category of photojournalism with photographs from events like the meeting of then Princess Elizabeth and President Truman to Walter Rosenblum’s unflinching portrayals of humanity Hospital Workers, South Bronx, 1979. With their gift to the Museum, Warren and Margot have created an enduring legacy that will enable the exploration of the photographic arts at the Ringling for generations to come.

Dr.

Gift of Warren J. and Margot Coville, 2012, SN11310.300 SELF-PORTRAIT OF WARREN COVILLE, 1948 Vintage, Gelatin silver print, Warren is holding a Speed Graphic camera

This presentation of works from the Coville Photography Collection is made possible by Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

THE RINGLING COLLECTION: NEW ACQUISITIONS

We think of our collections as living organisms. For the Museum to remain a vital part of the community, its collections must grow and evolve to serve its audiences. Today’s museums rely heavily on the generosity of forward-thinking collectors who make the decision to donate works from their collections, trusting in the mission of the museum to care for objects of cultural importance in perpetuity and to display those objects for the benefit and education of society. Currently in the West Galleries of the Museum of Art you will find an exhibition of more than 50 new acquisitions, made through donation and purchase, demonstrating the breadth of the collections and highlighting the active building undertaken over the last few years.

Art Library

The Museum Library continues its tradition of acquiring rare books, begun by John Ringling in the 1920s when he purchased 17th-century artist biographies to augment the study of his art collection. Taschen Publishers is just one superior example of contemporary book production.

Asian Art

In 2014 the Ringling will open a major new building focused exclusively on the art

of Asia. In preparation for this important expansion, the Museum has recently acquired objects from donors that enhance its collections that represent the major countries and cultures of Asia.

Ca’d’Zan

We have been fortunate to receive as gifts several artifacts that were once owned by John and Mable Ringling. Family members and friends have stepped forward to help complete the story of our founders’ lives.

Circus Collection

The Circus Museum was the inspiration of the first director of the Ringling Museum, A. Everett Austin, Jr. As there were no circus collections to draw upon, Austin reached out to the circus community. The response was overwhelming. This generous tradition of donation continues to this day.

Contemporary Painting and Sculpture

With the beginning of the Art of Our Time initiative in 2010 and the opening of Joseph’s Coat, the James Turrell Skyspace located in the Selby Courtyard of the Searing Wing, the Ringling made a public commitment to once again become a fertile ground for the display and cultivation of work by living artists.

Glass

With the donation of more than 30 pieces of studio art glass from collectors Philip and Nancy Kotler, the Museum has embarked on a new collecting focus. The Kotler Collection comprises works by many of the leading glass artists in the American and European traditions.

Photography

2012 marks an important year in the history of the Ringling’s collection. The donation of more than 1,000 photographs by Warren J. and Margot Coville is one of the most significant donations of art in the Museum’s history. In honor of the Coville’s gift, three other collectors of photography made donations to the museum: Hilary Leff and Elliot Groffman, and Geoffrey West.

Works on Paper

The collection of works on paper is one of the largest collections housed at the Museum. Spanning the period from the Old Masters to contemporary artists, it is a vital and growing part of the collection. The works on display by the American Surrealist, Boris Margo were a gift from the estate of the artist.

Gajin Fujita (American, b. 1972), Sky High, 2007, Gold leaf, arcylic, spray paint, paint marker, Mean Streak on Wood panel, Museum purchase, 2011, SN11296

RINGLING AROUND THE WORLD

Works from the Ringling Museum can be enjoyed in exhibitions all over the world in 2012 and 2013. From Daytona Beach and New York to Verona and Paris, visitors can enjoy the treasures of the Ringling!

United States

Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach, Florida

September 9, 2012–January 2, 2013

Exhibition: Pop Art Revisited: A 21st Century Perspective

Jasper Johns, Ale Cans V

Robert Rauschenberg, Bottles, from Studies for Chinese Summerhall

Andy Warhol, Jacqueline Kennedy II, from Eleven Pop Artists

Museum of Arts & Sciences, Daytona Beach, Florida

November 16, 2012–February 10, 2013

Exhibition: Old Master Drawings (organized by the Ringling Museum)

And Abroad

Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France

September 18, 2012–January 13, 2013

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

February 19, 2013–May 27, 2013

The Art Institute of Chicago

June 30, 2013–September 22, 2013

Exhibition: Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity

Alfred Stevens, Eva Gonzales at the Piano

Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France

June 22, 2012–October 14, 2012

Exhibition: Caravaggio and the European Caravaggism

Nicolas Regnier, Saint Matthew and the Angel

Galeries Nationales, Grand Palais, Paris, France

September 24, 2012–January 6, 2013

Fondation Culturelle Mapfre, Madrid, Spain

January 29, 2013–April 28, 2013

Exhibition: Bohemes

Nicolas Bollery, The Actors

Basilica Palladiana, Vicenza, Italy

October 6, 2012–January 20, 2013

Palazzo della Gran Guardia, Verona, Italy

February 2, 2013–April 1, 2013

Exhibition: Raffaello verso Picasso

Diego Velázquez, Philip IV, King of Spain

Peter Paul Rubens, Portrait of Archduke Ferdinand

THE RINGLING LIBRARY

The Spurlock Museum, University of Illinois at Urbana

September 4, 2012–February 10, 2013

Exhibition: The World of Shoes

Emmett Kelly’s Weary Willie Clown Shoes

Foot-shaped Clown Shoes

Ringling Museum Library Annual Meeting

Wednesday, October 24, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Johnson-Blalock Education Center, Room 1003/04

Held during National Friends of the Library week to honor our Ringling Museum Library Friends and promote awareness of our rich resources. Call 941-3595700 x2700 for more information.

‘The Literati’ Ringling Library Book Club

Friday, January 4, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Johnson-Blalock Education Center, Library Discussion will revolve around exhibits and art history. Reader registration through Megan Oliver via www.ettend.com. One page discussion guides will be provided at this meeting. Free to the public.

Angelica Kauffmann, Juno Borrowing the Cestus of Venus, 1776-77, Museum purchase, 1971, SN899

Peter Paul Rubens, Archduke Ferdinand, 1635, Museum purchase, 1948, SN626

A GRAND GIFT FOR CIRCUS MUSEUM

A grand mural that matches the splendor of “ The Greatest Show on Earth” has been donated to the Ringling Museum by Kenneth Feld. Feld is Chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, and new member of the Ringling Museum board. Stretching 42 feet wide by 22 feet high, the mural was commissioned by Feld in 1989 to be the centerpiece of the company’s corporate headquarters in Vienna, Virginia. Completed in 1990, the artist, William Woodward, captured the excitement and magic of the circus in the massive two story painting while also documenting the Ringling show of the 1970s and 1980s. For two years, Woodward followed the circus and sketched the faces, the acts, the wardrobe and the animals of the colossal show. The life-sized mural has a cavalcade of comic clowns, high flying aerialists, wonderful wire walkers, ponderous pachyderms, leaping lions, dancing tigers and beautiful prancing horses. A closer look reveals Dolly Jacobs on the rings; Lou Jacobs with his dog, Peewee; Frosty Little; and Gunther Gebel-Williams on top of the great elephant King Tusk. William Woodward is professor emeritus at George Washington University, where he initiated the painting program at the University in 1969. He

noted that “murals are the best examples of planned pictures. The creative process for painting a mural is like writing a musical composition and then performing it on stage.” In January 2013, the mural will be unveiled in the entranceway of the Circus Museum’s Tibbals Learning Center. Exhibits throughout the Circus Museum buildings are indebted to the passionate collectors, like Howard Tibbals, who have donated to the Museum. From a beautiful collection of lithographs born out of a passion for the performing arts to a set of photographs, letters, and contracts that documented the life of a circus performer, these donations help bring the stories of the circus to life.

Celebrate Circus Weekend: View the mural of The Greatest Show on Earth

Saturday, January 19

Circus Mural, The Greatest Show on Earth by Wm. Woodward, opens for public viewing, 10:00 am Circus Museum’s Tibbals Learning Center

Annual Windjammers Concert 2:00 pm, Museum of Art Courtyard

Kenneth Feld, Chairman & CEO, Feld Entertainment, Inc.

Wm. Woodward

The Greatest Show on Earth (detail) , 1990 Gift of Kenneth Feld, 2012

Word Becomes Flesh

“Many choreographers attempt to tackle social issues; few interweave their own stories in a way that makes sense. Word Becomes Flesh makes for a searing, satisfying evening.” – The Washington Post

NEW STAGES: NARRATIVE IN MOTION

Beyond Words

“Bowers effortlessly brings us to laughter and tears, often at the same time.” - The New York Post

Word Becomes Flesh

January 24-26, 2013, 7:30 pm

Written and Directed by Marc Bamuthi Joseph National Endowment for the Arts’ American Masterpiece series

Thursday-Saturday, 7:30 pm, Historic Asolo Theater / 941.360.7399

Tickets: $25, $20, $15, Enjoy free admission to ViewPoint: The Interplay Between Music and Dance and FSU Dance Theatre (see below) when you purchase all four Narrative in Motion programs.

In the early decades of the last century, A. Everett Austin, Jr. – known throughout the world of art as “Chick” – revolutionized modern museum practice. With a deep appreciation for the artistry of musicians, choreographers, and dancers, he led the way in presenting performing arts in American museums. “The function of a museum,” Chick declared, “is more than merely showing pictures. The museum is the place to integrate the arts and bring them alive.” To that end, Austin purchased the eighteenth-century Historic Asolo Theater, which now serves as the Ringling’s performance gallery. Here – in a cultural community already rich with the traditional performing arts – New Stages deepens our discourse on the performative through new expressions in theater, dance, and music.

The 2013 series heralds the welcome return of storytelling. By embracing the power of language, gesture, character, and emotion, artists are moving beyond the inscrutable abstractions of the experimental to explore once again the narratives of human relations. This authentic embodiment – when combined with poetry and a renewed sense of musicality – emerges into new forms that explore and exemplify the rich diversity of ideas at play in the world today.

Mark Bamuthi Joseph creates performance narratives by integrating poetry, contemporary movement, and live music in a new theatrical form based on hip hop aesthetics.

Presented as a series of letters to an unborn son, Word Becomes Flesh documents nine months of pregnancy from a young father’s perspective. It is a passionate plea for social responsibility and understanding that lyrically and choreographically examines the experience of fatherhood in America’s black community.

Enjoy free admission to these performances when you purchase tickets for all four programs in the Narrative in Motion series (for $100).

This presentation of New Stages is made possible by Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

Photo Jati Lindsay

A gravity-defying spectacle” – The New York Times “Alternately funny and poetic . . . LEO soars!”

Beyond Words

February 7-9, 2013, 7:30 pm

Written and performed by Bill Bowers

This acclaimed multi-disciplinary artist employs an eloquent mixture of music, monologues and mime in his investigation of the silence surrounding the matters of gender. With both audacity and compassion, Bowers explores what it means to be a boy and the messages we receive on our way to becoming men.

It is an inclusive montage that celebrates humanity in capacious terms rather than any narrow punitive viewpoint that diminishes us all.

– The New York Post

LE0

“Kate Weare creates terrifically satisfying dance phrases. And her fine company of four brings these steps to full, luscious life.”

– The New York Times

February 21-23, 2013, 7:30 pm

Produced and Created by Circle of Eleven Based on an Original Idea by Tobias Wegner

From Berlin, the Circle of Eleven blends music, acrobatics, dance, and theater in the spirit of classic German variety theater. LEO is not a play, a circus act, or a film project. It is a genre-defying performance that won “Best of Edinburgh Award” in 2011 and went on to become the hottest ticket for Spoleto 2012.

LEO explores a world where gravity has shifted and the hero must undertake a logic-defying adventure that reveals not only his dreams and desires but also his lust for life.

ViewPoint: The Interplay Between Music and Dance with Elizabeth Weil Bergmann

January 19, 10:30 am, Historic Asolo Theater

Kate Weare Company

March 7-9, 2013, 7:30 pm

With both rawness and precision, Kate Weare maps a humanism that is contemporary and profoundly stirring.

For the Historic Asolo, Weare presents a program of open narrative spaces into which she invites the viewers to insert themselves and to see the work through the lens of personal experience.

The presentation of Garden is made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and additional funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

A Co-production with the Sarasota-Manatee Dance Alliance. Choreographer Elizabeth Weil Bergmann – with Moving Ethos directors

Courtney Smith Inzalaco and Leah Verier-Dunn - illustrate how music influences the experience of modern dance.

FSU Dance Theatre

March 22 & 23, 7:30 pm, Historic Asolo Theater

Works by the resident faculty, alumni, and guest artists of this top-ranked university dance program.

LEO Kate Weare Company

Photo Andy Phillipson

UP CLOSE RINGLING MEMBER

MARY AND DAVID BENFER

What do you remember about one of your first visits to the Estate?

My first impression of Ringling was the amazing combination of beautiful grounds, the breathtaking Ca’d’Zan, a world class Art Museum and the one of a kind Circus Museum all on the stunning site of the Sarasota Bay. We discovered the grounds and gardens of the estate and museums provided a joyful educational experience for “children of all ages.” We vowed to come back as many times as it would take, until we had seen it all, but realized that is an impossibility as with every visit we found new exhibitions, attractions and additions. And each time we have been enriched and uplifted.

The Ringling has changed considerably since you became Members in 2004. Are there any delights or surprises?

To us, the Ringling Museum of Art stands out as one of the most important cultural treasures in this region. Once we became members and attended several special events, it became important to us to increase our support for the rich cultural and educational experience it offers to children and adults. We have noticed the growing attention to detail in the development of the grounds with the millennium walk and restoration of Mable’s beautiful Rose Garden. In addition, the expansion of the Tibbals Learning Center is a joy for all with its uniquely created exhibitions providing hands-on experience.

What are some of your favorite objects of the collection?

It’s difficult for us to select any one object in the vast and impressive collection of glorious works of the masters; however, Rubens Triumph of the Eucharist series in the Art Museum elicits a powerful response of awe. Strolling through the Tibbals Learning Center, you become a kid again in awe of

the miniature Circus. And each and every time I see it, there is something new and remarkable in the exhibition.

Do you have a memorable experience of an event or exhibition that you would like to share?

We are impressed with the depth of knowledge of the curators and docents at Ringling. Our most memorable visit was the private tour of the Rubens exhibition provided by Dr. Brilliant. She had detailed knowledge and presented it in a manner that all could grow in appreciation of his work. All of the educational offerings we’ve attended were fascinating and varied historical journeys bringing to life the travails of artists and photographers, or workshops on floral arranging coupled with a lecture on floral arranging and a tour of a traveling botanical exhibition. In typical Ringling fashion education is an unforgettable sensory experience.

What are your hopes for the Museum for the next ten years?

John and Mable Ringling’s vision to bring cultural arts and education to the Sarasota community and beyond has been preserved by the dedicated leadership team. We are excited by their efforts to reinvigorate this vision by expanding the Art Museum with the Asian art wing, attaining arboretum certification for the grounds and ongoing collaborations with notable museums around the world.

What experience do you share with others that may help them become part of the Ringling family?

The Ringling is enjoying an everexpanding following with

visitors coming through the gates from around the world. We enjoy introducing the Ringling experience to friends, taking them on tours of the grounds and exhibitions, to the Historic Asolo Theater performances, or special lectures. We always encourage them to join as members so they can share the exciting programs and offerings with others. Whenever we have guests visiting in Florida, we make Ringling our first stop.

THE POWER OF PHILANTHROPY

The Ringling Museum’s collection comprises more than 15,000 objects encompassing six primary areas of interest and acquisition: European Art before 1900; Ancient Art; Modern and Contemporary Art; Decorative Arts; Circus Arts; and Asian Art. Begun by John Ringling in 1925, the collection was ultimately bequeathed to the people of Florida and created a legacy of art that will be preserved and available for many future generations of Ringling visitors.

Each year, the Museum’s collection grows through both purchases and gifts. Works of art are purchased through designated endowed funds that generate income, a portion of which is available for acquisitions. Gifts of art come from collectors who believe that their treasured objects should be available to all. Creating a permanent legacy at the Ringling through a gift is a marvelous contribution to the future, adding depth and breadth to the collection.

For more information about making a gift of art to the Ringling Museum, please contact the Development Office at 941-359-5821 or advancement@ringling.org .

Thank you to these visionary donors for their recent gifts highlighted in New Acquisitions Exhibition:

- Martha Allen in memory of Dr. Terence Allen

- Daniel M. Black in memory of Martha Cecelia Avey

- Dr. Donald Brown

- Dawn Chimes

- Uta Christ-Janer

- Warren J. and Margot Coville

- Judith Daykin

- Kenneth Dodd

- Daniel and Sally Goldreyer

- Henry Vogt Foundation/ Henry Heuser

- Philip and Nancy Kotler

- Michael and Nancy Lacktman

- Hilary Leff and Elliot Groffman

in honor of Warren J. and Margot Coville

- Gunther Less

- Kathleen Nelson

- Schueler Family

- Leonora Stevenson in memory of J. Henry Knoblick

- Geoffrey West in honor of Warren and Margot Coville

- Murray Zimiles

- Ruth Zimiles

NEW BOARD OFFICERS & BOARD MEMBERS

Cliff Walters, Board Chair

Mike Urette, Vice Chair

Mike Pender, Treasurer

Michéle Redwine, Secretary

Six new Members have joined the Board:

Martin A. Arch created MARCO Convention Supplies, a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania business and has served on many boards, including the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg.

Rebecca Donelson is an Art Dealer. After working at the Corcoran Museum, Washington, D.C., The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. and at The Art Institute of Chicago, she opened her own gallery, The Dart Gallery, in Chicago.

Kenneth J. Feld is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Feld Entertainment, Inc., the world’s largest live entertainment company. Feld Entertainment produces some of the best known family entertainment brands, including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Disney on Ice, Disney Live, Super Cross and Monster Jam.

Patricia R. Lombard worked for Wells, Rich Greene advertising agency and managed the David Findlay Art Gallery on Madison Avenue. Lombard is active in several associations and organizations.

Senator John M. McKay was elected to the State Senate in 1990. He served as chairman of five committees, and was Senate President from 2000 to 2002. He is a real estate developer and President of John M. McKay, Inc. and of The Riverside Real Estate Company.

ClaudioTiozzo, Italian Cristallo

Gift of Philip and Nancy Kotler, 2012

Jane Skogstad worked principally for Rich’s, a division of Federated Stores. The FSU grad served as Committee Chairman and officer at the local and national levels with the American Society of Interior Designers, as well as President of the Georgia Chapter. She was also President of the 300 member multi-national American Women’s Association in Cairo.

Paolo Veronese: A Master and His Workshop in Renaissance Venice Edited by Virginia Brilliant with

Frederick Ilchman

Paolo Veronese (1528–1588) was one of the giants of Venetian Renaissance painting. Produced to accompany an exhibition celebrating the artist at the Ringling Museum, this magnificently illustrated book displays Veronese’s extraordinary versatility and examines his artistic practice, concentrating on works from North American museums and private collections. This publication, with contributions by an international team of experts and focusing attention on little-known works as well as acknowledged masterpieces, is a major addition to Veronese studies.

$55.00 / Scheduled to arrive late November

A treasured part of The Ringling Museum of Art’s permanent collection, Paolo Veronese’s, Rest on the Flight into Egypt has been beautifully reproduced on this elegant porcelain ornament. Hand painted with blue color glaze and 24kt accents, this ornament – a Ringling exclusive – will make an ideal gift or a treasured addition to your own ornament collection. Available only in the museum store.

$25.00 / Members receive 10% discount

MUSEUM STORE MEMBERS SHOPPING SPREE, SAVE 25%*

Enjoy FREE GIFT WRAP, LIGHT REFRESHMENTS and RECEIVE 25% OFF at the annual Members Shopping Spree! Sponsored by the Ringling Members Council, this year’s Shopping Spree will be held on three consecutive Thursday evenings during Art After 5. Bring the family and enjoy great shopping for unique gifts, then visit

the galleries of the Museum of Art and Circus Museum, or listen to live music at one of our after-hours events like Ringling Underground or Ringling by the Bay.

Thursday, November 1, 5–8 pm (Ringling Underground)

Thursday, November 8, 5–8 pm

Thursday, November 15, 5–8 pm (Ringling by the Bay)

*25% not applicable to sale items.