The Ringling Magazine | June – September 2013

Steven High Executive Director

5401 Bay Shore Road

Sarasota, FL 34243

ringling.org

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums

GOVERNOR

The Honorable Rick Scott

THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Dr. Eric J. Barron, President

OFFICE OF THE PROVOST

Dr. 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 Heller III

Patrick J. Hennigan*

Paul G. Hudson*

Dorothy C. Jenkins

Thomas W. Jennings Jr.

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

Toby A. Kline,* Chair, Members Council

Joan T. Uranga,* Chair, Docent Advisory Council

*Sarasota/Manatee County Resident

With this issue of our member’s magazine we present our new visual identity, the result of over 18 months of research, conversation, and creative design. Our new logotype, The Ringling, was the result of a process of discovery about our organization; who we are, how we present ourselves, and how we are viewed by our community, visitors, staff, and donors. Over the years and as the organization grew, we accumulated a confusing list of names for the museum. From our official name, The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, grew many others including the Tibbals Miniature Museum, Ringling Mansion, American Circus Museum, Searing Galleries, Ringling Cultural Center, and many more. During this process, we identified over 40 different ways in which we referenced the museum in publications, signage, media and the like. Our new identity reduces this to one logotype and six icons that capture the wealth and diversity of our museum and campus and we hope clearly articulates for our community who we are and what we do. The clarity of our logotype and icons also symbolize Our community engagement, outreach, attention to the visitor experience, and dynamic programs that touch all of our audiences.

At the core of this new identity is the celebration of our founders, John and Mable Ringling, and the legacy they left to the citizens of Florida by gifting their grounds, mansion, and remarkable art museum to the State of Florida. By embracing the Ringling name within our logo we recommit to their vision of a great museum accessible to all.

To guide us through this process we had the great fortune of working with Worldstudio, a New York-based firm specializing in organizational identity. Worldstudio principals Mark Randall and John Pirman worked with us from the very beginning taking us step-by-step through a systematic process that led eventually and obviously to all those involved to only one result. No matter how often we would redirect the process or ask for more studies or examples, Mark and John would kindly meet our requests then steer us back to focus on the end result. Our success in this process is attributable mainly to their enthusiasm, persistence and creativity.

This new identity is an important first step in a larger comprehensive campaign to revamp the marketing strategy and tools of the Ringling. For over 15 months we have been working with At Large, a Sarasota-based web design firm, and this summer we will launch a new and rich website with many more opportunities for interaction and learning. The third component in this campaign is broader and more extensive media coverage promoting the exhibitions and programs offered by the museum. To help guide us in media strategy and placement, The Ringling hired New York-based public relations firm Resnicow Schroeder. This winter’s Paolo Veronese exhibition benefited greatly from their insight and media access enabling us to place articles on the exhibition in over 75 media outlets including such distinguished publications as Burlington Magazine and the Wall Street Journal. Our new identity will only help them in relaying the complexity and diversity of this institution to writers worldwide.

I sincerely hope you like our new look.

Steven High Executive Director

Marsden Hartley, Handsome Drinks, 1916, Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Milton Lowenthal, 72.3

Summer Circus Spectacular, performer Jack Fullbright

Otto van Veen, Adoration of the Shepherds, c.1600, Museum Purchase,2013, SN 11348.

AMERICAN MODERNS 1910-1960

FROM O’KEEFFE TO ROCKWELL

Dr. Matthew McLendon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

JUNE 14-SEPTEMBER 8 Museum of Art, Searing Wing

The first half of the twentieth century, after the Colonial period, is perhaps the most compelling and dynamic epoch in American history. Like its cousin Europe, America underwent rapid industrialization and urbanization founded upon expanding technological innovations. New populations flooded into America in search of the “American Dream” already a part of a collective world psyche. Yet, it was not a straight ascent to the peak of world power that America would inhabit by the century’s mid-point. Within those first fifty-odd years, there were two cataclysmic World Wars, the “dust bowl” and Great Depression; at times one may have wondered if “the last best hope of earth” that was America would endure. It was against this tumultuous backdrop that artists in America began responding to the changing world around them, often rejecting and reformulating artistic traditions to better reflect contemporary life.

These dynamic, violent, and often tenuous years are the setting for the exhibition American Moderns: 1910-1960: From O’Keeffe to Rockwell coming to The Ringling from the Brooklyn Museum. On display will be fifty-three paintings and four sculptures from this renowned collection of American art. The works range widely in subject matter and style. Marsden Hartley, Stuart Davis, and Arthur Dove, all key figures in American modernism, are represented. These are artists with whom you are most likely already familiar. The exhibition also presents an opportunity to explore the

Georgia O’Keeffe, 2 Yellow Leaves, 1928, Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Georgia O’Keeffe, 87.136.6.

The American Moderns exhibition is part of the Ringling’s 2012-13 Art of Our Time season, supported in part by a grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation.  The exhibition is also made possible through the generous support of the Amicus Foundation and is paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues.

American Moderns, 1910-1960: From O’Keeffe to Rockwell has been organized by the Brooklyn Museum.

work of artists with whom you may not be as familiar. Byron Browne is represented with an arresting still life of geometric and biomorphic shapes. Fishers Island, c.1952, by Loren MacIver, combines the effects of realism and abstraction as counterbalances to materiality and spirituality—an approach fostered by her close relationships to poets e.e. cummings, Marianne Moore, and Lloyd Frankenberg.

The wide spectrum of work is treated in six thematic sections such as “Cubist Experiments,” “Nature Essentialized,” and “Americana” providing the viewer with the period’s primary artistic developments. The works comprising the exhibition have been selected to enable an opportunity to appreciate the vitality and diversity of American art from one of the most important periods in this nation’s history. I am pleased to be bringing this exhibition to the museum as it will greatly augment our own, small collection of American work from this time. One of our primary objectives in bringing traveling exhibitions to The Ringling is to offer work that is not wellrepresented in our own important collection so that we can widen our audience’s experience and knowledge of art. In addition to this special exhibition, you will find an adjacent focus gallery concentrating on Sarasota’s own important contribution to the aesthetics of this period, the Sarasota School of Architecture. I hope that you enjoy exploration of America’s not-too-distant past and the lessons its artists continue to teach us.

MEMBERS ONLY PREVIEW

BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE EXHIBITION

THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 5:00 PM - 7:OO PM

Museum of Art Loggia

Join fellow Members and be the first to see the special exhibition. Light bites and cash bar. Open to all members at all levels. RSVP: 941.360.7332 or email: memberRSVP@ringling.org

GALLERY WALK AND TALK

AMERICAN MODERNS: 1910-1960

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 6:00 PM

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 6:00 PM

Museum of Art, Searing Wing

In the fifty years encompassed by American Moderns, this country experienced transformative changes that permeated all aspects of American life and culture. Join us for these talks that will discuss some of the dramatic developments of this era as expressed through selected works in this exhibition.

Free for Members

George Wesley Bellows, The Sand Cart, 1917, Brooklyn Museum, John B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 24.85.

Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Synchromy No. 3, 1917, Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Edith and Milton Lowenthal, 1992.11.24.

WITNESS TO WAR

The Witness to War exhibition, film series and programs are part of Legacy of Valor, a community campaign presented in partnership with The Patterson Foundation that will inform and engage our community leading up to the dedication of Patriot Plaza, a ceremonial amphitheater at Sarasota National Cemetery.

JUNE 21-OCTOBER 27 Museum of Art, Searing Wing

The sheer volume of photography produced during World War II is staggering. Innumerable still photographs were printed and disseminated and countless feet of celluloid ran through movie cameras during the course of this pivotal moment in human history. Advances in the technical aspects of photographic film and cameras had enabled images to be produced and circulated on an industrial scale, and in a new era of total war, the camera proved to be an indispensable military instrument as valuable as any weapon in warfare. The resulting pictorial record is so immense that WWII remains indelibly vivid in the cultural imagination of Americans today.

Yet behind each of those images are the numerous and mostly unsung servicemembers

Christopher Jones Curatorial Fellow

who worked tirelessly, under duress, and often in harm’s way to record and produce them. Witness to War, running June 21 through October 27, aims to share their personal experiences by way of the photographs that they created, collected, and kept in order to record their lives at war. Rather than a sweeping exhibition that attempts to offer a single narrative of World War II in pictures, The Ringling hopes to present several accounts of the war through the personal experiences of several individual veterans who served in the military photographic services.

I had the honor of curating this exhibition and researching the collections these photographs are drawn from. The initial impetus behind Witness to War stemmed from last year’s generous gift by Warren J. and Margot Coville. Besides the hundreds of exceptional works of photojournalism and art photography, Warren also gifted a box of personal photographs from his WWII service with the 486th Bombardment Group of the 8th Air Force in England. These images ranged from portraits and snapshots of everyday life in deployment to the gripping aerial photographs of bomb strikes and air combat that Warren helped to produce. These haunting images impressed me with not just how powerful and varied the visual culture of war photography is but it also revealed to me how photography testifies to the specificity of each veteran’s individual experiences of war.

In order to find comparable collections of photographs from WWII veterans, we collaborated with the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience at Florida State University in Tallahassee. The Institute, established in 1997 to preserve memorabilia from WWII vets, has over 6,500 collections in its archives. Dr. G. Kurt Piehler and his assistant, Anne Marsh, were invaluable in

PRESENTED BY THE RINGLING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY AND THE PATTERSON FOUNDATION

From the Elaine and Walter J. Duggan Collection, Institute on World War II and the Human Experience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. 00.0351.442.

my research and incredibly hospitable. They let me practically camp out in their archive, where I spent a few weeks poring over thousands of photographs in their repository.

I have to admit, at the end of each day my eyes were aching, but the photographs I kept finding were so compelling that my enthusiasm was renewed again and again. There were candid snapshots of war buddies with heartfelt inscriptions recorded on the back, scenes of indescribable suffering and destruction, and candid shots of GIs passing time in revelry and in boredom. Each of these photos was an important memento a vet chose to take and chose to keep in order to remember and perhaps even to come to terms with the war. The collection of Charlotte D. Mansfield told the story of a Woman’s Army Corps member who was among the first group of women to be trained in photography by the US Army. Another group of photographs from Stephen Winters traces the life of a soldier who served in a photography lab that advanced with the progress of American forces in the Pacific, from New Guinea to the Philippines and finally on to Japan. The more time I spent with these personal collections, the more I felt like was connecting directly to them; they became distinct, living personalities each with a unique story to tell.

VIEWPOINT

KENNY IRBY PHOTOGRAPHING CONFLICT

SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 10:30 AM

Historic Asolo Theater

Whether a snapshot, candid picture, an official visual record or acts of journalism, photographs that bear witness to conflict act as historical records as well as personal memoirs of the soldier-photographer. This thoughtprovoking program will touch on some of the issues surrounding photography that transcend generations and conflicts; We invite you to bring these ideas to your own experience of The Ringling’s exhibition, Witness to War.

GALLERY WALK AND TALK WITNESS TO WAR

THURSDAY, JULY 11, 6:00 PM

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 6:00 PM

Museum of Art,Searing Wing

The photographs in this exhibition speak to both photography’s crucial role in the official documentation of the events of war as well as the personal stories of the soldiers who captured the images.  These gallery talks will explore the dual nature of these experiences and how these photos  bear witness to these distinct, yet intertwined, points of view. Free for Members

WITNESS TO WAR ON FILM

Included with non-Member Museum admission on the day of the film. $5 for films only. Free for Members

SUNDAY, 2:00 PM

Historic Asolo Theater

In the early 1940s, Hollywood released a number of films that sought not only to entertain, but also to boost America’s patriotic spirit. Just as they had done during the Great Depression, movies gave audiences the encouragement they needed by celebrating the nation’s values, beliefs, and place in history.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 2:00 PM

WAKE ISLAND Universal Pictures; Directed by John Farrow. Black and White; Not Rated; 87 minutes; 1942

SUNDAY, AUGUST 11, 2:00 PM

SO PROUDLY WE HAIL

Paramount Pictures; Directed by Mark Sandrich. Black and White; Not Rated; 125 minutes; 1943

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18, 2:00 PM

DESTINATION TOKYO

MGM/UA; Directed by Delmar Daves. Black and White; Not Rated; 135 minutes; 1944

Photographer Unknown, Soldiers on Amtrac in Ocean, n.d., on loan from The Institute on World War II and the Human Experience, Florida State University.

OTTO VAN VEEN ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERDS

Dr. Virginia Brilliant Ulla R. Searing Curator of Collections

This spring, we are delighted to welcome a new painting to the art museum’s collection: The Adoration of the Shepherds by Otto van Veen (born Leiden c. 1556, died Brussels 1629). A distinguished and scholarly artist, Van Veen is best known as a teacher of Peter Paul Rubens. Born into an aristocratic family, Van Veen studied in the Netherlands and Italy and spent most of his career in Antwerp, where he had a large studio. He found great success as a court painter and worked for, among others, Rudolf II in Prague, William V in Bavaria, and Alessandro Farnese in Brussels.

According to the Gospel of Saint Luke, an angel appeared to a group of shepherds to announce the birth of Christ; they left their sheep and hastened to see the Child, just born to the Virgin Mary in a stable in Bethlehem. In Van Veen’s painting, the roughly dressed shepherds and shepherdesses adore the newborn, and present him with humble gifts of apples (the forbidden fruit consumed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, reminding us that Christ will redeem humanity), eggs (alluding to the purity of the Virgin and to the

Resurrection), and a bound lamb (a symbol of Christ’s future sacrifice).

Van Veen’s scene is dense with figures, and uses brilliant colors and dramatic lighting effects. Striking are the variety of facial types and expressions, from the graceful Virgin at center to the muscular shepherd at right, from the mischievousness of the husky angel at the composition’s apex and the shepherd caressing his female companion at left to the thoughtful shepherd in the right background. Charming too are the animals, particularly the lamb in the foreground and the quizzical cow at the Child’s crib. Although Rubens came to adopt a more painterly working method than his teacher, the range of faces and gestures, sculpturally threedimensional figures, attention to everyday detail, and glowing colors that are hallmarks of Van Veen’s work feature in Rubens’ oeuvre as well.

The Adoration of the Shepherds is painted on an unusually large and thick piece of copper. A popular support among Flemish artists during the seventeenth century, copper was valued for its fine, reflective surface. The reverse of the panel bears the mark used by Antwerp coppersmith Pieter Stas before 1608, which consists of his initials inside a heart-shaped design. Thus the present work was probably created just after 1600.

This painting will be displayed alongside works by Van Veen’s famous pupil Rubens. The Ringling is home to perhaps the foremost collection of works by Rubens in America, and thus it is fitting for the museum to own a work by his talented master which ably and clearly demonstrates the origins of Rubens’ distinctive style, elements of which he retained in his own art and others which he shrugged off altogether, radically altering the course of the history of art.

Otto van Veen, Adoration of the Shepherds, c.1600, Museum Purchase, 2013, SN11348.

THE RINGLING AROUND THE WORLD

WORK OF ART: Philip Pearlstein, Female Model on Ladder, 1976. (SN979)

EXHIBITION TITLE: Philip Pearlstein’s People, Places, Things

LOCATION: Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida

EXHIBITION DATES: March 3 – June 16, 2013

WORK OF ART: Collection of Photographs by Frederick W. Glasier, c.1900 (printed 2009)

EXHIBITION TITLE: Circus! The Photographs of Frederick W. Glasier

LOCATION: The Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa, Florida

EXHIBITION DATES: May 18 – August 11, 2013

WORK OF ART: Sanford Biggers, Quilt #12, 2012 (SN11349)

EXHIBITION TITLE: Sanford Biggers: Codex

LOCATION: Anderson Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, Richmond, Virginia

EXHIBITION DATES: May 23 – August 4, 2013

WORK OF ART: Alfred Stevens, Eva Gonzales at the Piano, 1879 (SN438)

EXHIBITION TITLE: Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity

LOCATION: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

EXHIBITION DATES: June 26 – September 22, 2013

WORK OF ART: Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Portrait of Samuel Nelson, American Jurist, 19th century (SN5372)

EXHIBITION TITLE: Augustus Saint Gaudens: “An Epic Poet of Bronze”

LOCATION: Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, DC

EXHIBITION DATES: September 1, 2013 – September 1, 2015

WORK OF ART: Giovanni Battista Moroni, Portrait of Mario Benvenuti, c.1560 (SN106)

LOCATION: Timken Museum of Art, San Diego, California

EXHIBITION DATES: May 1 – September 8, 2013

LIBRARY BY THE NUMBERS

The Ringling Education Center’s Library is one of the largest art reference libraries in the Southeastern United States. It houses more than 88,000 volumes from the 16th-21st centuries, relating to all aspects of the Museum’s collections.

REFERENCE & RECORDS

5,000 patrons served

6,000 reference questions answered

55,000 records migrated to FSU library system

ACQUISITIONS

3,000+ new acquisitions

2,100 gifts

600 purchases

INTERLIBRARY LOANS

800 books loaned to other libraries

200 books borrowed from other libraries

CONSERVATION OF PERIODICAL VOLUMES

78 volumes of periodicals bound

20 rare books conserved

DIGITIZATION

500 object research files scanned

400 special collection images posted to the Internet

PROGRAMS & OUTREACH

50 programs, presentations and tours offered

12 interns mentored

THE RINGLING LIBRARY HOURS

Monday - Friday, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

General Public

Monday - Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

The Ringling staff, docents, and volunteers

All others by appointment (including members)

EDUCATION BY THE NUMBERS

Museum tours are one of the most visible programs of The Ringling’s Education department. Docent-led tours in all venues are offered to the general public while docent-led and self-guided tours are available to teachers and students. Keeping track of the number of visitors served through these programs assists Education in making decisions about the allocation of resources such as when it’s time to recruit for a new docent class. The Museum shares these numbers with other museums throughout the country and they are compiled annually by the

Association of Art Museum Directors. The tale they tell is that The Ringling ranks third out of the 189 museums that responded to the survey in the number of adult tours we offer and fourth in the number of adults who took tours! Only institutions such as the Met, the Getty, and the National Gallery of Art ranked higher. Remember to thank the hardworking docent on your next tour! Though our school tour numbers are not where we want them, we are working hard at removing the obstacles for field trips and getting the word out about all the wonderful student and teacher resources available at The Ringling. Let’s see what progress we make over the coming year.

PUBLIC TOURS

107,684 visitors on docent-led tours

SCHOOL TOURS

142 self-guided school tours

89 docent-led school tours

8,156 students served

ROAR! THE RINGLING ORDER OF ART READERS

FRIDAYS, JUNE 7-AUGUST 2 (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF JULY 5), 10:30 AM

The Ringling Education Center

This summer, the Library will be launching a new family program, designed to get children, ages 4-7, reading about art. Presented in partnership with the Education Department, each session will consist of story-time, a related activity and snack. Those intrepid readers who attend 6 or more sessions will receive a ROAR! badge of honor and excellence!

Space at each session is limited to 20 children, who must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is free and advanced registration is required. Please contact Assistant Librarian, Mēgan Oliver, at megan.oliver@ringling.org or 941-359-5700 ext. 2704.

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 5:00-7:00 PM

Educators, be entertained and enlightened at the The Ringling before you go back to school. This special event, open to educators at all levels, will feature a preview of the exhibition schedule for the coming academic year, an information session on bringing your classes to the Museum, Museum resources that are available to you and your students, and an opportunity to meet The Ringling staff and volunteers who work with scholastic programs. A complete schedule of the evening’s opportunities will be available later in the summer. For information email education@ringling.org

RINGLING INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL

OCTOBER 9–12

UNDER THE ARTISTIC DIRECTION OF THE BARYSHNIKOV ARTS CENTER

GET READY ]

941.360-7399 ringling.org

LEEV THEATER GROUP

Hamlet, Prince of Grief

OPENING NIGHT OF THE FIFTH ANNUAL RINGLING INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL

RIAF INSPIRES

WED, OCT 9 5:30 PM RECEPTION

* 7:00 PM PERFORMANCE, followed by dinner in The Ringling Museum of Art galleries

TICKETS $500

Opening Night “RIAF Inspires” is an intimate and elegant evening featuring contemporary Flamenco artist, Rocío Molina. Wednesday, October 9. For tickets and information call 941.360.7399.

* ROCÍO MOLINA

Danzaoro

Mertz Theatre, $40

THU, OCT 10, 1:00 PM & 9:00 PM

One of the most brilliant bailaoros of our time, Spain’s Rocío Molina is the recipient of her nation’s most coveted award in the arts, the National Prize for Dance. Her energized display of Flamenco, classical bolero, and traditional popular dance creates a “danceable universe” with its own unique language and meaning. “Ms. Molina is one of the greatest flamenco dancers I have seen...(she) seems to lead an audience into the heart of flamenco at its purest and extend it by making it new.” – Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times

TERE O’CONNOR DANCE

Mertz Theatre, $40

THU, OCT 10, 5:00 PM

FRI, OCT 11, 1:00 PM & 9:00 PM

SAT, OCT 12, 1:00 PM

Viewing dance as an abstract documentary form, Tere O’Connor’s bold and individualistic approach to choreography explores the complex coexistence of time, metaphor, and memory.

“There isn’t a dull movement in Tere O’Connor’s current program . . . hands flutter or gesticulate, feet tap or paw or prance, backs tilt or arch, pelvises shift gently or forcefully. Partnering can be now touching, now funny.” – Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times

STEPHEN PRUTSMAN AND THE AEOLUS QUARTET

Sherlock, Jr.

Historic Asolo Theater, $40

THU, OCT 10, 9:00 PM

FRI, OCT 11, 5:00 & 9:00 PM

SAT, OCT 12, 5:00 PM

The mystique of the silent-film era is captured — and updated — with a screening of Buster Keaton’s 1924 comedy Sherlock, Jr., accompanied by a live performance of the jazzy, eclectic, and inventive score for piano and string quartet composed by pianist Stephen Prutsman and performed with the Aeolus Quartet.

“Prutsman’s multistyled facility was given full vent in Sherlock, Jr. The music one moment evoked a lilting, lyrical Fauré and the next a jaunty rag.” – Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times

Cook Theatre, $30

THU, OCT 10, 5:00 PM

FRI, OCT 11, 1:00 PM & 9:00 PM

SAT, OCT 12, 5:00 PM

From Iran comes a humorous and most unusual rendition of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Written by Mohammed Charmshir, the work is performed by Afshin Hashemi in Farsi (with English subtitles) and employs an imaginative menagerie of plastic toys to symbolize the inhabitants of Hamlet’s drama.

“With dark, expressive eyes and a rich, versatile voice, Mr. Hashemi is a compelling presence, ably suggesting a man haunted by the agonizing tale he must recount.” –Charles Isherwood, The New York Times

BELARUS FREE THEATRE

Minsk 2011: A Reply to Kathy Acker

Cook Theatre, $40

THU, OCT 10, 1:00 PM & 9:00 PM

FRI, OCT 11, 5:00 PM

SAT, OCT 12, 1:00 PM

If scars are sexy, Minsk is the sexiest city in the world. Strip clubs, underground raves and gay pride parades pulse beneath the surface of a city where sexuality is met by government oppression. Minsk 2011 celebrates and mourns a land that has lost its way. Performed in Russian with English subtitles. For mature audiences only.

“Something mythicd — a sight to inspire fear and wonderd — tears its way into existence toward the end of Minsk 2011, the beautiful and brutal performance piece from the Belarus Free Theater.” – Ben Brantley, The New York Times

R IA F 2013

JAZZ SUNSETS ON THE BAY

Bolger Campiello

THU, OCT 10, 5:00 PM-8:00 PM

FRI, OCT 11, 5:00 PM-8:00 PM

Enjoy a different jazz band each evening as the sun sets on Sarasota Bay. Free of charge with museum admission and RIAF ticket stub. Food and beverages available for purchase.

RIAF CLOSING NIGHT PARTY

Museum of Art Courtyard, $40

SAT, OCT 12, 6:30 PM

Join us in The Ringling museum of art courtyard to raise a toast to RIAF 2013 and bid a fond farewell to our visiting artists. Live entertainment and fireworks; food and beverages available for purchase.

THANK YOU TO OUR NEW STAGES SPONSORS

We wish to thank the following individuals, foundations, and businesses for their support of New Stages 2013: Contemporary Performance at the Historic Asolo Theater

Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Charles and Charlotte Perret, Macy’s, New England Foundation for the Arts

Clockwise: Stephen Prutsman, Sherlock, Jr.; Tere O’Connor

Dance, poem; Belarus Free Theatre, Minsk 2011: A Reply to Kathy Acker; Leev Theater Group Hamlet, Prince of Grief.

Medhi Shaban

Ian Douglas

CIRCLE LEVEL MEMBERSHIP

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

My first visit was with my husband in 1978 when we came to Sarasota on vacation as well as to check out Sarasota as a place to retire. We traveled often and visited museums and other cultural institutions everywhere we went. A big part of our decision to retire in Sarasota was the Ringling Museum. As soon as we moved here in 1982 we became members and watched as the museum expanded into the gem that it is now. We were spellbound with the Rubens Gallery, as well as the Rose Garden, Art Museum, and the Ca’ d’Zan. My husband passed away in 1994 but the museum was such a part of our lives that I continue to support it each year. So I have been a member for 31 years!

What does The Ringling mean to you? The Museum brings me great joy and peace. I believe that people always have problems and the art, music, and opportunities here can help them find solace. As a retired psychiatrist, I believe it is important for everyone to be exposed to great art to find relief from their troubles. Art is a necessity to keep a good “mental license” for life and provides informal continuing education. The Ringling is a remarkable place to find this! Sometimes people need to be guided to understand the art and the Ringling does a fantastic job with the docent tours. It has enhanced my life in so many ways. There are so many offerings here, a wide spectrum of events, art, musical and theatrical programs. It is a place where “people help people” and find friendships. I certainly have. Plus my children and grandchildren love visiting when they are in town; I don’t let them leave without seeing the latest exhibition! When I leave the Museum, I always feel that I have gained something for having visited.

Do you have a memorable experience of an event you would like to share? Yes, many, but one comes to mind. I was visiting the museum with my daughter, Sandra, who lives in the northwest US. We had a wonderful docent tour. Sandra is a professional sculpture artist and she and the docent were chatting about Sandra’s art work. The docent was so interested and she found Sandra’s website after the visit. The docent called Sandra to say how much she enjoyed her art work and thanked Sandra for “sharing.” It was very special for both of us. It showed that Ringling is about “people” who care and plus are very involved in the art community.

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

Recently I wanted to attend the Member preview for Herb Ritts: L.A. Style. I was very concerned and a bit anxious about getting to the exhibition without a hitch, as I have scoliosis and it makes it very hard to walk far. I contacted the membership department and they suggested that I may want to get here early so I would have plenty of time to park and that I may want to use a portable wheelchair rather than rely just on my crutches. Museum staff brought me a wheelchair, and my friend helped me park and get to the Searing Wing for the preview with plenty of time. The staff bent over backwards to make my visit comfortable and enjoyable. Everyone — staff — volunteers, and other members were so kind to me. I was able to thoroughly enjoy myself and the Preview thanks to everyone’s help!

Support from members of The Ringling allow us to fulfill our mission. Members at the Circle Levels are offered special opportunities to join other likeminded art enthusiasts, curators, Board members, and staff as we explore the collection on a more intimate level. As a Circle Level Member, you will receive invitations that include exclusive exhibition preview dinners, which combine fine dining with rare opportunities to interact with featured artists-private tours with the curators, the State of The Ringling address by the Director and Board chair, and so much more. For more information contact Sharon Freddes at 941-359-5821

sharon.freddes@ringling.fsu.edu

“We believe that The Ringling and all of its venues are gems of the community. We moved to this area seven years ago because of the culture; we want to do our part to see that it continues to thrive.”

Norma Wohl MEMBER SINCE 1982

Dave and Betty Emison CIRCLE LEVEL CURATOR MEMBERS

MEMBER RECOGNITION

Stephen Leonard Johnston Adam Trust

Martha J. Allen

Miranda & Robert Anderson

Mr. & Mrs. Martin Arch

Mrs. Ruth D. Bernat

Mrs. Mary T. Bessemer*

Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Blalock

Dr. Susan M. Brainerd & Mr. Alan R. Quinby

Mrs. Eleene L. Cohen*

Mr. Thomas E. Coundit

Mrs. Herta K. Cuneo

Mr. John F. Cuneo Jr.

Linnie E. Dalbeck Memorial Foundation

Mr. W. H. Chris Darlington & Ms. Eleanor L. Merritt-Darlington

Joanne Dowell Trust

Mr. & Mrs. David M. Essenfeld

Arnold* & Priscilla Greenfield

Nancy A. Gross

Terry & Andrea Honroth

Huisking Family

Ms. Christine L. Jennings

Mr. Gunther L. Less*

Mrs. Virginia F. Linscott*

Mrs. Winona H. Lowe*

Mr. Thomas B. MacCabe, Jr.

Mr. John W. Markham, III

Estate of Joseph A. McGarrity

Ms. Joan McKniff, in honor of Mr. Ridha Bouaziz

Scott Merrifield Nutter & Charles George Hattendorf

Wilmer I. Pearson

Virginia W. Powell Trust

Nancy & Peter Reinheimer

John & Mable Ringling*

James & Sharon Roth

Mr. T. Marshall Rousseau

Tana & John* Sandefur

Ulla R. Searing & Arthur F. Searing*

Dr. David E. Seil

Mrs. Louise B. Sulzberger*

Ms. Margery B. Tate

Howard & Janice Tibbals

Mike & Karen Urette

Dr. Helga M. Wall-Apelt

Cliff & Susie Walters

Robert* & Kate Wickham

*deceased

LEGACY LUNCHEON

Members of The John and Mable Ringling Legacy Society were honored at a special luncheon held at the Bolger Campiello by Ca’ d’Zan. Members who have included the The Ringling in their estate plans as well as those who have been members for more than 15 years were recognized for their continued support.

Marty Arch, a Ringling member, volunteer, Board member, and Legacy Society member, spoke about why he and his wife, Barbara, chose to make a planned gift to The Ringling. “We felt the legacy of John and Mable Ringling not only warranted our time as volunteers but also deserved to be the focal point of our philanthropy. We recognized the importance of the museum to the prosperity of Sarasota and thought we must help in any way we could to ensure the education and enjoyment of all visitors to the museum today and in the future.” Following in the tradition of John and Mable Ringling, members and friends who have chosen to support The Ringling through their own planned gifts enable the museum to look forward with confidence.

“We truly couldn’t do this without each of you in this room and we are here today to say thank you for your wonderful commitment,” remarked Steven High, Executive Director.

A planned gift can be made simply by including a provision for The Ringling in a will or by establishing a gift that provides a steady stream of income during one’s lifetime. Unlike outright contributions, planned gifts allow you to provide a future benefit to the The Ringling while meeting current personal and financial goals. If you have included The Ringling in your estate plans and would like to be included in the John and Mable Ringling Legacy Society, or if you would like to discuss the many ways to make a planned gift, please contact Erin Barker, Associate Director for Development, at (941) 359-5700, 1-5807.

AT THE RINGLING MUSEUM STORE

BE PART OF ART!

Show your support for The Ringling with new logo merchandise from the museum store. Our new logo is fun and colorful — and don’t forget, members receive a 10% discount! Mug, T-shirt, and hat. $12.95 - $18.95

SHARING THE RINGLING JUST GOT EASIER

941.359.5700 x1110 or ringling.org Free admission for one 10% discount at the Museum Store 10% discount at the Museum Restaurants Valid for Musuem General Admission only. Not valid with any other offer. 941.359.5700 ringling.org Member_daypass_2013.indd

Freeadmissionforone 10%discountatthe MuseumStore 10%discountatthe MuseumRestaurants ValidforMusuemGeneralAdmissiononly. Notvalidwithanyotheroffer. 941.359.5700 ringling.org Member_daypass_2013.indd

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art 5401 Bay Shore Road Sarasota, FL 34243

4/5/13 12:37

“MemberforaDay”pass Goodforoneadmission.Pleasecompletepriortoarrival. Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Email: ID: Exp:

4/5/13 12:37 PM

Purchase additional Member-For-A-Day Guest Passes for only $15 each. When accompanied by a member, Adult and Senior Adult guests (65+) may purchase general admission for $15. Perfect for gifts, or sharing with visiting family and friends.Guest passes also include discounts to The Ringling museum stores and restaurants. Available at the membership desk in the Visitors Pavilion.

The Museum’s exhibitions and programs are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, by a grant from the Sarasota County Arts Council, Tourist Development Council and the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners.