The Ringling Magazine | October – December 2014

Steven High Executive Director

I am continually amazed at the diversity of experiences one can have when visiting The Ringling. A thorough visit of The Ringling can easily take the larger part of a day to experience the offerings at the Museum of Art, Circus Museum, Ca’ d’Zan, and Bayfront Gardens.The exhibitions and programs of The Ringling are constantly changing too, so every visit to The Ringling campus will bring new experiences, programs, or learning opportunities for our guests.

This Fall, The Ringling will host exhibitions and programs of significant cultural and geographic diversity, bringing the global to Sarasota. Behind Closed Doors explores collecting and presentation in the Spanish Colonial home from the 16th through 19th centuries. This exhibition highlights the great wealth of the Spanish and indigenous elite in the colonies and demonstrates how these objects reflected the collectors’ social and ethnic identities. Our education team has put together a mini-conference featuring Florida scholars on the Spanish Colonial period to discuss how the exhibition opens unique windows onto this time. Seeing the Unseen, in a neighboring Searing Wing gallery, highlights the work of contemporary Chinese artists in photography and video exploring history and memory and the conflicts of tradition and commercialization. One of the artists in the exhibition, Li Wei, will be in residence at The Ringling in November to develop two performance works which will take place on our campus.

To explore the diversity of our world in performance, look to the Ringling International Arts Festival. As always, this year’s festival will feature performers from many different cultures, including Israel and Palestine in the work of Duo Amal, Latin America with the Pedrito Martinez Group, and Germany and Italy with the dance performance Tangram

This past summer the board of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Foundation, Inc. underwent a change of leadership. Cliff Walters served The Ringling with distinction over his two years as Chairman of the Board. A resident of Bradenton, Cliff was a mentor and consensus builder, his careful listening and thoughtful reasoning guided us many times as we evaluated strategic planning issues, construction projects, and board roles within the organization. I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with him and am pleased that he continues on the board. Tampa resident Michael E. Urette follows Cliff as Chairman. We all look forward to working with Mike on the many opportunities ahead of us. You can read more about the officers and new members of the board later in this issue.

5401 Bay Shore Road

Sarasota, FL 34243

941.359.5700

ringling.org

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums

GOVERNOR

The Honorable Rick Scott

THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Dr. Garnett S. Stokes

Interim President

OFFICE OF THE PROVOST

Dr. Sally E. McRorie Interim Provost

COLLEGE OF VISUAL ARTS, THEATRE & DANCE

Peter Weishar, Dean

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Steven High

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Michael E. Urette, Chair

Paul G. Hudson, Vice Chair

Nancy Parrish, Treasurer

Jane Skogstad, Secretary

Martin A. Arch

Madeleine H. Berman

Thomas J. Charters

Daniel J. Denton

Rebecca Donelson

George R. Ellis

Kenneth J. Feld

Frances D. Fergusson

Darrel E. Flanel

Casey Gonzmart

Priscilla M. Greenfield

Patrick J. Hennigan

Jeffrey R. Hotchkiss

Dorothy C. Jenkins

Thomas W. Jennings Jr.

Patricia R. Lombard

Thomas B. Luzier

Michael R. Pender Jr.

Michéle D. Redwine

Ina L. Schnell

Linda Streit

Howard C. Tibbals

James B. Tollerton

Clifford L. Walters, III

EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS

Roberta Schaumleffel, Chair, Volunteer Services Advisory Council

Barbara Swan, Chair, Docent Advisory Council

Steven High Executive Director

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2014

On the Cover: Mac Premo, The Dumpster Project, with artist, Pulse Miami, 2011, Mixed media, © Mac Premo, image courtesy of the artist and Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York.

Above, left: Nick Cave, Soundsuit, 2008

Mixed media, 94 x 35 x 35 inches, Inventory #NC09.014 © Nick Cave.

Photo by James Prinz Photography. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Above, right, top to bottom: Li Wei, Dream-Like Love, 2003, C-print, 122 x 116cm.

Photo courtesy of the artist. The Future of Museums, Engaging Millennials

Cambalache: Una Historia de Fandango,

Photo by Angélica Macklin

ETHEL’s Documerica, Photo by Stephanie Berger

Nick Cave, Soundsuit, 2008 (Detail) Mixed media, 94 x 35 x 35 inches, Inventory #NC09.014 © Nick Cave.

Photo by James Prinz Photography. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Re:Purposed is part of The Ringling’s 2014-15 Art of Our Time initiative, supported in part by a grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

Seitz hoped for a “designation not only more embracing, but also more indicative of the mediating principles which they demonstrate.” He then identified two commonalities of the vast majority of the works selected: “1) They are predominately assembled rather than painted, drawn, modeled, or carved. 2) Entirely, or in part, their constituent elements are preformed natural or manufactured materials, objects, or fragments not intended as art materials.”

It is in light of these two ruptures of artistic practice that contemporary artists now commonly employ any number of non-traditional materials to create their works. Increasingly, many turn to what might be considered “garbage,” “trash,” “cast-offs,” “detritus,” etc. Each of those words carries its own connotations and slang uses. Garbage is bulky, weighty, smelly; it is a heterogeneous mix of the organic and inorganic. Trash, on the other hand, is something completely different. It is light, more homogeneous—possibly paper, or leaves; it is not necessarily repugnant in the way that garbage tends to be. The recontextualization of such source materials in art making forces us to question our notions of the discarded as well as the relationships among hierarchies of art and value.

Bringing together ten of the most inventive artists working today, this exhibition will explore several of the more recognizable trends among those who consistently “repurpose” garbage or detritus in their practice. The themes of identity, index, and environment will be considered through works as varied as the Soundsuits constructed by Nick Cave out of objects collected at flea markets and antique shops to the meticulous display and cataloguing of the entire contents of Mac Premo’s studio in The Dumpster Project. The choreographer and artist Jill Sigman will be creating an installation in her international Hut Project providing an outpost of the discarded as a locus for conversation. In keeping with the mission of the Art of Our Time Initiative, Re:Purposed brings together artists who transcend traditional boundaries in both medium and practice helping us, in this case, to reconsider what is perhaps the ultimate universal human experience: our production of garbage.

Emily Noelle Lambert, Fortress, 2012, wood, plaster, and acrylic, dimensions variable, Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus Gallery, New York.

NEW STAGES 2015 RE:IMAGINED

A FIVE-PART EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY PERFORMANCE

Dwight Currie, Associate Director, Curator of Performance

Feb — Mar 2015

Historic Asolo Theater

If you have participated in a public conversation with an artist, you know the first question is likely to be, “where do you get your ideas?” Where — we all wonder — is the font of creativity? What triggers the imaginative powers to make art? If we should put these questions to the artists of New Stages 2015, I suspect they would agree with the British writer, Colin Wilson (1931-2013), who observed, “The imagination’s power lies in its receptivity, not in any power to ‘invent’.”

RE:Imagined is a five-part exhibition of contemporary performance created in response to received influences both historic and anticipated. There is no question as to source of inspiration; but as the artists’ minds and bodies perform in service to received words, images, and ideas, newly re-imagined artistry emerges to magnify and amplify the power of the source material. With each work, we engage not only with the creative powers of the artists on stage, but also with the aesthetic and cultural stimuli that inspired their performance.

Julian Sands in A Celebration of Harold Pinter (February 6-7) “embodies the notion of the actor as a transparent vessel through which we see the thoughts and feelings of others” (Ben Brantley, New York Times). The “other,” in this case, is Harold Pinter — arguably the most influential dramatist of his generation. Yet it is not Pinter’s dramatic literature that Sands brings to the stage, but rather his poetry. The plays, Sands says, came from “another place;” the poems came “from himself.” It is a lesser-known Pinter — the private man — that is revealed in Sand’s portrayal. He

Re:Imagined is part of The Ringling’s 2014-15 Art of Our Time initiative, supported in part by a grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

is still “abrasively self-assured and often hostile and foul-mouthed,” but through Sands (as directed by John Malkovich) we see the writer who, in his own words, was “only dimly conscious of the grounds of my activity.”

The source material for ETHEL’S Documerica (February 20-21) is an archive of powerful photographs commissioned in 1971 by the EPA to document the state of our environment. Working in collaboration with projection designer Deborah Johnson, the musicians of ETHEL tap the archive’s evocative potential by juxtaposing the music of today’s composers with the imagery of the photographs. The result is a dramatic portrait of a tumultuous era that is by turns urban, rural, pastoral and gritty. It is a generous act of creative reimagining that restores the visual and emotional impact of culturally significant photographs by bringing them into dialogue with a new century.

Choreographer Dušan Týnek will draw his inspiration from The Ringling’s art collection to create a new work for Camera Illuminata, performed by Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre (March 6-7) a program that already includes intimate solos and duets inspired by such artists as Caravaggio, Degas, and Schiele. Widely hailed for his sophisticated command of structure and space, Týnek evokes the imagery of the camera obscura in the visualization of tableaux that recall the atmosphere and emotion of the paintings. Then, as he enlivens each work with a dance vocabulary that is distinctly his own, he opens our eyes to see the movement of the artist’s hand as it is re-imagined on the canvas of his choreography.

In Cinema Vivant (March 20-21), the gypsy jazz of The Hot Club of San Francisco transports you to the French countryside of the 1930s, when caravans of entertainers played music as the flickering imagery of silent cinema was projected on a barn. In reviving this

entertainment, The Hot Club has created scores for the cinematic miracle of early stop-action animation. Three vintage films of the early twentieth century (two by the European filmmaker Ladislaw Starewicz and one by the American Charley Bowers) are projected on screen as the musicians play their guitars and fiddles, matching every movement with characteristic virtuosity, passion, and humor.

For the past ten years, the imagery of human figures at the mercy of surging waters has prompted conceptual artist Lars Jan to explore our baffling response to the devastating effects of climate change. It is the anticipation of catastrophe that informs Holoscenes (March 25-28), an exploration of our capacity for empathy and long-term thinking that presents movement art in a large aquarium wherein the performers are threatened and engulfed by rising waters. Presented in the open air on The Ringling’s waterfront, the performance site itself — predicted to be underwater by the close of this century — plays an integral role in a visceral and involving engagement with vulnerability.

HISTORIC ASOLO THEATER PERFORMANCES

FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS AT 7:30 PM

$30, $25, $20

$25, $20, $15 for Members

NOTE: Holoscenes is a non-ticketed installation performed on the grounds of The Ringling Museum.

Clockwise:

ETHEL’s Documerica, photo by Stephanie Berger; The Hot Club of San Francisco, photo courtesy of the artist; Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre, photo by Tom Caravaglia; Julian Sands in A Celebration of Harold Pinter, photo courtesy of the artist.

A MESSAGE FROM MIKE URETTE

I’m honored to be named the Chair of The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art Foundation Board of Directors. The Board of Directors consists of thirty-one men and women who have an over-riding passion for all forms of art. They are appointed to the Board by the President of Florida State University for a four year term. At least onethird of the Board must live in Sarasota or Manatee County, and two-thirds may come from outside the area to provide state-wide representation and geographic diversity. The Board has a wide variety of tasks but they all boil down to three principal responsibilities:

First

To set policies which oversee the maintenance and preservation of the collections of the Museum of Art, the Circus Museum, and the furnishings of the Ca’ d’ Zan mansion;

Second

To nominate the Director of the Museum, who is appointed by the University President;

Third

To assist in growing the endowment and supporting annual fund-raising for museum operations.

By fulfilling these responsibilities the Board will preserve the legacy which John and Mable Ringling so generously left to our community and the State of Florida. I have commuted from Tampa for the past five years because I find inspiration on The Ringling campus. The art collection presents some of the finest visual experiences in the world; the circus is an infectiously happy environment and always creates smiles; and Ca’d’ Zan is a reminder of a world that used to be. Being on the beautiful campus and engaging with the friendly staff, the Board, and visitors offers a pleasure that is addictive. I just can’t get enough of The Ringling!

MEU

WELCOME NEW BOARD LEADERS

Board Chair

Mike Urette is the founder and chief executive of Great American Corporation in Tampa. The 32-yearold family-administered organization is a diversified real estate construction, development, and management company. Urette has been active in the Tampa community for more than 30 years. He has held a variety of civic positions focused on the arts. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and earned Master’s degrees from Indiana University. Urette has served on the Board at The Ringling since 2009.

Board Vice Chair

Paul G. Hudson Managing Director and Private Client Advisor at U.S. Trust more than 20 years of professional experience in delivering customized financial, tax, trust and investment planning strategies to wealthy clients and their families. He received his Bachelor of Science in

Board Treasurer

Nancy Parrish is a private investor and collector. Parrish was founding co-chair of Human Rights Watch, northern California Chapter. She served two terms as Development Trustee of Friends of University of California San Francisco’s Department of Psychiatry’s Hospital Board. She currently serves as Vice President and Development Chair of The Children’s Guardian Fund of Sarasota. Prior to 1996, Parrish was founder and managing partner of Parrish, Smith Associates, a consulting firm.

Darrel Flanel is a Managing Director at Bank of America

Merrill Lynch in the healthcare investment banking group. He has more than 30 years of investment banking experience primarily serving non-profit hospitals, universities and cultural organizations. He has completed transactions aggregating in excess of $30 million as well as advising on mergers and acquisitions in excess of $5 billion. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from Florida State

Jeffrey Hotchkiss is a retired President of Teradyne, a Boston based manufacturer of systems for the testing of electronic products.

English from Florida State University.

During his 38- year career at Teradyne, he has held roles in various sales, marketing, and division management positions, including Chief Financial Officer from 1997-1999. Hotchkiss has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University and a Master of Management Science from The Sloan School at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

BUILDING A LASTING LEGACY

LEGACY SPOTLIGHT CHARLIE HUISKING

The Ringling inducted six new families into The John and Mable Ringling Legacy Society at the annual Legacy Luncheon.

“The Ringling has been a big part of my life since I was a child,” Charlie Huisking, one of the inductees, said. “My parents took me there regularly, for art classes, concerts in the Courtyard and just to gape at the giant Rubens paintings. I even made a movie of Romeo and Juliet on the Museum grounds as a high-school project.

“So now I’m pleased to follow my parents’ example and make a bequest to The Ringling a part of my estate planning. While my mother’s main interest was enhancing the rose garden—and wow, would she be thrilled to see how magnificent it has become—I’m primarily interested in supporting visual and performing arts programming at The Ringling. Particularly programming in the Historic Asolo Theater, which has also been a big part of my life for decades.

It’s wonderful that The Ringling is such a multi-faceted institution that offers so many possibilities to donors who want to leave a legacy.”

“The Huisking family gift will support visual and performing art. Other gifts will support the docent program, contemporary art, educational programs, staff positions, and the Museum’s general endowment. Legacy gifts allow supporters to make a lasting impact on the future success of their chosen program.

This year’s inductees include:

Dan Denton, Rebecca Donelson and Robert Blattberg

Charles L. Huisking, III

Beverly Koski

Roberta Schaummelefel

Joan and Jose Uranga

If you would like information on how you can join The John and Mable Ringling Legacy Society, please contact Erin H. Christy, JD at 941.359.5700 x 1-5807

UP CLOSE WITH STEVE AND JUDY SHANK

The Ringling provides the Sarasota community with the highest quality exhibitions, programs, events and educational outreach—none of which would be possible without the support of our members, donors and friends. Recently, member and supporter Judy Shank sat down with Susan Sigman, senior development officer, to discuss why she and her husband Steve are Circle members and why they’re passionate about supporting The Ringling’s Art of Performance programming.

Susan Sigman: Why did you and Steve decide to become members?

Judy Shank: We joined The Ringling very shortly after moving to Sarasota. We came here from Minneapolis where we had a longstanding relationship with the Walker Art Center, a contemporary museum in the Twin Cities. We read an interview in The Ringling Quarterly with Dr. Matthew McLendon, who had just been appointed as the curator for Modern and Contemporary Art. We were very excited that The Ringling was going to re-energize its contemporary program.

SS: It’s wonderful that you chose to join the Museum. What influenced your decision to become members of our Circle program?

JS: When the membership program was redesigned, we liked the idea of participating at a higher level where we could become acquainted with artists, meet performers and be involved on a more personal level. We have found that we learn so much more when we actually get to know the curators. In addition, we

wanted to meet others who shared our interests. We have made several very good friends through our involvement as Circle members.

SS: What do you and Steve enjoy most about being members?

JS: We enjoy the tremendous variety at The Ringling. We love the Circus Museum, the Renaissance art and the beautiful grounds. When we bring guests, there is something for everyone to do and see.

SS: If you were going to encourage others to become members, particularly Circle members, what would you say to them?

JS: I’d say that you will have nearly unlimited opportunities to learn about art, art history and local history, and you will see performances that are amazing in their creativity.

SS: Tell me about some of the most memorable experiences you and Steve have had at the Museum.

JS: Many things come to mind, but the performance by the string quartet ETHEL with Robert Mirabal was one of the most exciting and stimulating musical experiences we have ever had. We loved the Zimoun show several years ago, the recent R. Luke DuBois exhibition, and the thrilling performance of John Luther Adams’ Inuksuit in The Ringling Courtyard.

SS: You and Steve seem to enjoy the diverse offerings at the Museum and support many things. In particular, why have you chosen to support Art of Performance?

JS: We have found Art of Performance to be thought provoking and intellectually stimulating but more importantly, we experience something we would describe as delight after nearly every show. Art of Performance is a cultural asset that truly sets Sarasota apart. Come. Be amazed. Be challenged. Be warmed. Share the gift. For information about Circle membership, contact Sharon Freddes at 941.359.5821.To learn about Art of Performance, contact Susan Sigman at 941.359.5700 x1-5806.

DESCRIBE THE RINGLING!

(IN ONE WORD)

ESSENTIAL!

– Pamela

ENERGIZING!

– Carole and Larry

STIMULATING!

– Leon and Marge

A TREASURE!

(THAT’S TWO WORDS!)

– Edna and Richard

INVIGORATING!

– Joy and Blair

JOY!

– Gregory

FASCINATING!

– Glenn and Kathleen

WE ASKED OUR MEMBERS

Our featured members:

Pamela Beck

Member for 3 years

Carole Crosby and Larry Kellogg

Members for 4 years and circle members since 2012

Leon and Marge Ellin

Members for 9 years and new circle members in 2014

Edna and Richard Hausman

Long time members

Blair and Joy McMillan

Members for 12 years and circle members since 2012

Gregory Overcashier

Member for 5 years along with his extended family members

Glenn and Kathleen Weatherly

New family members in 2014

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF BEING A MEMBER OF THE RINGLING?

“As a member, I’m frequently at the museum, so I always know what’s going on and what’s coming up; and this buzz stays with me all year. It translates to 12 months filled with the excitement, exposure and education that these diverse exhibitions, performances and programs offer... and minutes from my home!

“I like to be part of life’s contemporary dialogue and being introduced to minds and talents with stimulating perspectives, whether it’s in the visual or performing arts. It’s a new century with creative ideas expressed in original and often, multidisciplinary ways we’ve not seen before; and The Ringling’s on top of that on every front. On a lighter note, who doesn’t want to bring friends to dine on Treviso’s terrace? Have you tried their bread?”

– Pamela

“Having access to the entire Museum with its contrasts: an extraordinary Fine Arts Museum, performing arts in the Historic Asolo Theater, gourmet Treviso restaurant, Tibbals Learning Center and the magnificent grounds”

– Carole and Larry

“An insider’s look at the workings of the institution and exposure to the people who make things happen at our favorite spot in town. Meeting and talking to other members who share our interests is a special bonus”

– Leon and Marge

“Access to the Galleries, Ca’ d’Zan, the gardens and the performing arts”

– Edna and Richard

“Having the opportunity to meet other members at events and hear from staff about the exciting new adventures at The Ringling”

– Joy and Blair

“Supporting the Museum”

– Gregory

“We think the miniature circus display is amazing”

– Glenn and Kathleen

WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVATION FOR RENEWING YOUR MEMBERSHIP EACH YEAR?

“How can anyone who likes to participate in stimulating, top-notch visual and performing arts opportunities not become a member and support The Ringling? We’re so fortunate to have this creative think tank right here in Sarasota. If I didn’t live here, I’d fly just to visit this museum, particularly during RIAF.”

–

Pamela

“We joined when we moved to Sarasota and would never ever consider discontinuing our membership with The Ringling. When we initially joined in 2010, we tried to find a membership level similar to the circle program, but none existed at that time. As soon as the circle program became available, we grabbed it!”

– Carole and Larry

“Renewing the membership is a no-brainer given how often we go to the campus. Upgrading to the circle program is a result of our taking a good look at how we spend our time and where our interests lie and

investing accordingly. We have always supported any cultural activity in which we participate. After that, it’s a matter of degree and how involved we feel or want to become”

– Leon and Marge

“We are motivated to renew our membership by the pleasure we experience at each visit to the Estate. It enriches our lives”

– Edna and Richard

“We renew because each year offers new and interesting events and venues. And, each year, there are more opportunities to learn about the art, architecture, circus and grounds envisioned by the Ringling’s. Music and performing arts events as well as the new multimedia art exhibits have been engaging and fun. We want to help sustain these efforts and encourage others to join in. We became Circle members because we wanted a more committed and deeper relationship with The Ringling”

–

Joy and Blair

“Membership encourages me to visit more often. The more I visit my knowledge of art grows and inspires me. It just always feels good to be at the museum”

– Gregory

“We have lived in Florida for seven years and the Ringling has always been on our list of things to see. The thing that finally motivated us to join was the reciprocal agreement with other Museums in North America. We will be able to use this during a trip we are planning “

– Glenn and Kathleen

ARTIST FOCUS: LI WEI DEFYING GRAVITY AT THE RINGLING

Fan Zhang, Associate Curator of Asian Art

View Li Wei’s work in the exhibition Seeing the Unseen Through February 28, 2015, Museum of Art, Searing Wing

A startling image by contemporary Chinese artist Li Wei shows a bodiless head of a lone, young man roving through Tian’anmen Square, a landmark symbolizing China’s political and cultural center. The artist created this iconic image by carrying a 3-foot long mirror with his head emerging from a hole in the center. The reflection in the mirror was captured by the camera’s lens to create a striking and disconcerting image. “We see ourselves and our surrounding from a new point of view,” said Li Wei, who found this distinctive means to challenge the perception of truth and urge viewers to explore the multiple realities of China’s complex society today.

In his ongoing series “To Fall” and “To Fly”, Li Wei also incorporates installations and performances into art photography with the help of wires, scaffolding, and cranes. By using software to erase some details,

he presents various compelling images of falling or gravity-defying moments, such as this photo that shows the artist in a superman-like pose after crashing into the ground with his legs sticking out rigidly. This scene suggests a common psychological state of the Chinese during a time of unprecedented social transition. Often with no other choice, they must be prepared to dive into the unknown and deal with the unexpected. Images of the missing body and the hidden head also reflect the artist’s feelings of alienation in an increasingly materialistic society and his concern with issues of identity, freedom, friendship and existence in a rapidly changing urban environment.

Li Wei Artist Performance

November 17

10:00 AM Ca’ d’Zan

2:00 PM Museum of Art Courtyard

Free to the Public

Cameras encouraged

Li Wei is coming to The Ringling Museum to offer a fresh take on his conceptual photography in front of Ca’ d’zan and behind the museum courtyard. Li’s work often features gravity-defying activities mixing performance and installation, with photography. Bring your own camera and prepare to be shocked by Li Wei’s unexpected stunning performance! This new work will become part of the exhibition Seeing the Unseen

Li Wei, Freedom at the 25th Story, 2004, C-print, 150 x 150 cm

Li Wei, Mirror Series: Tian’anmen, 2000, C-print, 150 x 90 cm

Li Wei, Li Wei Falls to the Earth, 2002, C-print, 120 x 212 cm

Photos courtesy of the artist

Left to right:

THE FUTURE OF MUSEUMS

ENGAGING MILLENNIALS

Maureen Zaremba, Curator of Educational Programs

Education is at the core of the Ringling’s mission. While “education” usually translates to school programs and life-long learning, some of the most significant educating we do is with emerging professionals. The Museum is fortunate to have robust intern and fellow programs that provide students and scholars with the experience of a compelling museum culture. Most museum internships and fellowships offer interaction with artworks, historic homes, or popular culture collections, but here at The Ringling, students have the opportunity to interact with all of that, and more. They also work alongside of seasoned professionals who embrace the opportunity to mentor students and share the “real life” experiences that you can’t get in the classroom.

Every summer, The Ringling hosts six to seven student interns. Interns are required to be enrolled in a graduate program in their field, or to have just completed such a program. Interns apply to the area they are focusing on; curatorial, museum education, registration, visitor services, library, theater, archives. A highly competitive process, applications come in from all over the world. Each student is assigned specific projects within their departments, but a series of tours, seminars, and “behind the scenes” events provide an overview of all the moving parts of the organization. The goal is for interns to leave having accomplished a project that will enhance their resume, assist the department

they are assigned to, and to have a much greater understanding of the challenges as well as rewards, of working in a public museum. Far from being a one-way exchange, veteran professionals are energized by the enthusiasm the interns bring as well as their up-to –the minute knowledge of best practices and contemporary theory. It’s a much appreciated shot-in-the-arm for all of us.

Fellowships are for a full year and are usually awarded to students who have completed a graduate degree and are looking for further museum experience or scholars whose expertise is vital to a project. Recent fellows have assisted staff with processing important collections in the archives, researching objects for the Asian art galleries, and organizing and presenting a wide variety of exhibitions. Fellows become part of the museum team and in several cases have been hired as permanent employees.

Parting is definitely sweet sorrow come the end of the summer, or the end of the fellowship. Friendships have been created as well as professional relationships. We are often asked if our students get jobs. The answer is a resounding yes! From our point of view, the future of museums is in great hands with young talent that is enthusiastic, engaged, and dedicated to making museums places for unique and one-of-a-kind experiences for everyone.

SUMMER 2014 INTERNS

Brittney

Biddle

Why did you choose to study Communications?

It’s a long story. I always believe that you should do something that you enjoy. And people always asked me as a kid, what do you want to be when you grow up? I would say I just want to have fun. As a result I chose things that I really like in college.

Sam

Callanta

What have you learned during your time at The Ringling?

I think it is a great environment, working at a museum, working at a theater at a museum. It is a different experience than working at a theater that is just a theater or a theater that is a part of a community college. You are a part of a history here because you are a part of a museum that has circus and the show is about circus. It is a more cohesive experience. You can walk out at lunch and see the Circus Museum or the Ca’d’zan. It’s a great environment.

Angelica

Bradley

What have you learned during your experience here?

Well I have to say that I love it here. It has been awesome. I grew up coming here so I already loved it, but it has been great to go behind the scenes, see how it has been run and what goes into that. This is the fifth museum that I have worked in so it is fun to see how The Ringling operates because it has so many different components: a circus museum, an art museum and a historic house. You basically never get three different aspects on one campus. It is fun to see how they mesh, and at times how they contrast.

Laura Hampton

What have you worked on during your internship here?

I have been working primarily with the first executive director of The Ringling, Chick Everett Austin’s book collection. He had books that were a part of the early library. I have been doing condition reports to add to files of every book, and there are about 80 of them in the collection. The collection tells us where is head was at during his time at The Ringling. The work I am doing will make this collection more accessible, and help the public to learn about the first director’s vision for the library.

Amanda Barreto

What are some of your takeaways from your experience at The Ringling?

What I realized about The Ringling is that I have never worked at a place where literally everyone is so happy to be here. The number of volunteers here is incredible. These people choose to put in so many hours. There is one man who has put in more than 14,000 hours, and he is still going. The people who are working here want to be here, and I have never been in a place like that.

Rachel

Turner

What have been some of your responsibilities at The Ringling?

We are opening up an Asian wing, so I have been researching some of the objects in the collection to help decide what will be displayed there. I have also been working on label texts and a little bit with the traveling exhibition “Royal Taste,” which will warm up the opening of the Asian wing. Just some background researching.

Laura Libert

What are some of your takeaways from this internship?

Beyond learning the basic computer skills, I think that The Ringling’s internship program is excellent because of the ability to experience all of the different aspects of the museum. We have been able to go behind the scenes of every single department, and to see how they work together to make the Ringling as seamless as possible. That actually has been really interesting. Working with the actual objects has been exhilarating because I really have not done that at all.

Left to right: Laura Hampton, Rachel Turner, Amanda Barreto, Sam Callanta, Laura Libert, Brittney Biddle, Not pictured: Angelica Bradley

The Ringling MUSEUM STORE

Enjoy great shopping for unique gifts. Daily 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM; Thursdays until 8:00 PM 941-359-5700 x1110

This holiday season, the store offers two new ornaments, as well as a perennial favorite, great for gift giving or adding to your own collection!

Lou Jacobs Ornament

Working with his family, the Museum Store developed this vibrant, handblown glass ornament of Lou Jacobs and his faithful sidekick, Pee Wee. Lou Jacobs’ legacy of laughter continues to delight audiences through exhibitions at The Circus Museum. $30.00

Cat Ornament

This enchanting ceramic sleeping cat is adapted from the Kutaniware sleeping cat on display in Mable’s room in the Ca’d’Zan. Our reproduction captures those details that make the Kutani-ware sleeping cat so enchanting: its fine fur, the dark pads of its upturned paw, its delicate whiskers. $14.00

Blue Madonna Ornament

The simple beauty of The Blue Madonna is captured in this fine porcelain ornament with 24 karat gold accents and filigree detailing. $19.00

Member Only Event MEMBERS SHOPPING SPREE

DEC 4 – 7

Find that perfect gift this Holiday Season! Whether you are looking to trim your tree, or purchase gifts for friends and family, The Ringling Museum Store has everything you need— jewelry, clothing, art books, Ringling branded merchandise and children’s toys to fill stockings and warm hearts this holiday season.

Members of The Ringling enjoy 25% off store purchases (sale items not included).

Members can also receive discounts on items to donate for the December 4th Holiday Splendor, US Marine Corps Toys for Tots gift drive.

MEMBERS RECEIVE 10% OFF PURCHASES ALL YEAR!