The Ringling Magazine | January – April 2015

Steven

High Executive Director

This issue of The Ringling highlights two growing collections at the museum, our documentary photography collection and Circus poster collection. The Circus collection is a rich compendium of objects, works on paper, and archives that follows the birth and rapid growth of the American circus from the 19th century to the 21st century. The poster collection contains over 7,500 circus posters and other advertising materials used by American and European circuses. This issue features From the Four Corners of the Globe, an exhibition in the Tibbals poster gallery that highlights the marketing of international performers, exotic creatures, and historic spectacles. Featuring a number of posters from the late 19th century, Four Corners explores how global cultures were represented and misrepresented to small communities throughout the world via the traveling circus. We are also pleased to highlight a recent acquisition of photographs by the New York-based photographer Builder Levy with the exhibition Appalachia USA. For over 40 years, Builder Levy has been photographing the life, landscape, and people of Appalachia as it has evolved over the past half-century. I hope you will have the opportunity to explore both of these exhibitions in The Ringling’s galleries this summer and re-visit your favorite works in our permanent collection.

Several years ago, the Friends of Asian Art was formed to bring increased attention and programming to a treasured part of our collection that was infrequently exhibited. With the construction of our center for Asian art nearing completion, the lack of exhibition space will be in the past and a rich collection of objects from Asia will always be on view. The success of this Friends group has inspired us to develop special interest groups for contemporary art and performance (Friends of Art of Our Time), the Circus, Ca’ d’Zan, and original art museum galleries and grounds (Friends of the Legacy), and Library (Friends of the Art Library). Each group has three to four special events throughout the year that provide behind-the-scenes opportunities to engage with artists and scholars. It is an excellent way for members to meet other members who share a passion for different areas of the museum’s collections and programs. All members are invited to join a Friends group, and the cost directly supports Friends’ activities. I hope you will consider participating in one or several of the Friends groups that interest you.

5401 Bay Shore Road Sarasota, FL 34243

941.359.5700 ringling.org

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums

GOVERNOR

The Honorable Rick Scott

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

John E. Thrasher President

OFFICE OF THE PROVOST

Dr. Garnett S. Stokes

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

Steven High Executive Director

Roberta Schaumleffel, Chair, Volunteer Services Advisory Council

Barbara Swan, Chair, Docent Advisory Council

ISSN 2165-4085

Cole: The Marvels of Many Nations, circa 1881.The Strobridge Lithographing Company. Tibbals

Builder Levy, End of Shift, Wolf Creek Colliery, Lovely, Martin County, Kentucky, 1971.

FROM THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE GLOBE

Jennifer Lemmer Posey, Assistant Curator, Circus Museum

JUN 3 – SEP 14, 2015

Tibbals Learning Center, Poster Gallery

“Come see what other lands produce!” boldly proclaimed an 1881 ad for W.W. Cole’s Tremendous Circus and Menagerie. The rich and varied collection of circus advertising that is housed in the collections of The Ringling Circus Museum offers a remarkable opportunity to explore the ways in which circuses have shaped their place in American culture. Among the most significant roles the circus played in the 19th and 20th centuries was that of transmitter of knowledge about the world beyond American shores. With bombastic bravado, circus impresarios like Cole and his contemporaries, P.T. Barnum and the Ringling brothers, promised audiences “a universal fair of gigantic wonders gathered from the four quarters of the Earth.”

The ad for the Cole show urged readers to “Read our bills! Take the map and trace up our travels!” In this single newspaper ad printed for the town of Chillicothe, Missouri, the significant connection that the American circus has always made between exoticism and advertising comes to life. Coincidentally, the ad’s reference to a map relates directly to a poster in the Tibbals Collection.

W.W. Cole’s Great Circus, Menagerie & Congress of Living Wonders, The Marvel of Many Nations documents for the curious public the route that the show traveled, circling the Pacific Ocean during the winter of 1880-1881. The show boasted “every land and clime searched for novelties,” implicitly promising audiences that it would share the wonders of the faraway lands it had visited. The images surrounding the globe illustrated such enticing wonders as the Devils’ Dance, Human Tigers, and other wonders from the Pacific region.

By the late 19th century, the rise of the photographic medium had already given Americans a revolutionary ability to see the world without ever leaving home. Travel photography illustrated the wonders of Greece, Egypt, India, and China, and could be quickly disseminated through a variety of publications. The circus could do one better – bring the sights, sounds, and smells of the exotic world to small-town America. “Genuine Bedouin Arabs,” Chang-Tu-Sing, the Chinese Giant, and other “Strange and Savage People” could be found under the billowing tents of the circus.

Along with people, circuses delivered lavish productions meant to portray the wonders of foreign lands. Spectacles like The Wizard Prince of Arabia and The Durbar of Delhi used Orientalist themes, draped in extravagant wardrobe and props to momentarily transport audiences beyond the big top to the exotic Far East. Even animal features played upon the show’s ability to offer fascinating new experiences, from Pawah, “the Sacred White Elephant of Burma” to John Daniel II, a gorilla from the “Wilds of Africa.”

In American circus posters the presentation of people as foreign and exotic was often a supplemental attraction to their act, like “Martinho Lowande, the Great Brazilian Rider.” It also could be the dominant feature that made them worth advertising like W.C. Coup’s “Japanese Equestrians and Gymnasts,” whose individual identities and talents seemed to be distractions from their exotic presence.

The printed advertising that was the dominant media for circuses of the 19th and early 20th centuries offers a fascinating glimpse at how American attitudes slowly evolved, becoming increasingly informed and interested in the cultures and experiences of people from around the globe.

CIRCUS CELEBRITY NIGHT

JAN 24

Historic Asolo Theater

The Ringling honors members of the circus world at the annual Circus Celebrity Night awards ceremony in The Historic Asolo Theater. The event recognizes the men and women who have shown extraordinary dedication and remarkable talent in the performance and production of the circus arts. Over the years such greats as Karl Wallenda, LaNorma Fox, Emmett Kelly, Lou Jacobs, Dolly Jacobs, Bello Nock, and Nik Wallenda have been honored as Circus Celebrities.

From left to right: W.C. Coup: Japanese Equestrians and Gymnasts, 1879. The Strobridge Lithographing Company. Tibbals Collection; W.W. Cole: Genuine Bedouin Arabs, circa 1881. The Strobridge Lithographing Company. Tibbals Collection; Barnum & London: Scene at Melbourne, 1877. The Strobridge Lithographing Company. Tibbals Collection.

BUILDER LEVY: APPALACHIA USA

This page:

Coal Camp, near Grundy, Buchanan County, Virginia, 1970.

Opposite, clockwise:

The Church Family, Thacker Mines, Mingo County, West Virginia, 1970.

Toby Moore, Old House Branch Mine, Eastern Coal Company, Pike County, Kentucky, 1970. Prepare to Meet God, Williamson, Mingo County, West Virginia, 1971.

Christopher Jones, Assistant Curator of Exhibitions

JUL 10 – SEP 13, 2015

Museum of Art, Searing Wing

This July, The Ringling Museum of Art will host Appalachia USA, an epic documentary project by the New York-based photographer Builder Levy (b. 1942) that presents life and labor in coal mining communities through lush black and white photographs. Levy connects us to the labor at the heart of coal mining, bringing us deep underground where miners toil at the arduous and sometimes perilous work. Through Levy’s adept, empathetic portraiture, we also connect to the miners on a personal level, and throughout the series, we come to experience a sense of cultural and social space. His lens captures the intimate interiors of family homes, takes in the natural beauty of the landscape (even as it is marred through mining) and presents the particular rural material culture and environment that marks the region’s unique identity. Appalachia USA attends to the turbulent politics of economics and labor that have revolved around coal mining in America. Levy documents the picket lines of striking miners and their families, and the organization of communities to improve their standard of life.

Levy began the work in 1968 and continued documenting the region for over forty years. Initially the project was a labor of love. While a student in the 1960s, Levy photographed civil rights marches and demonstrations—many of his shots were published in the journal Freedomways. He undertook the Appalachian project as a continuation of his commitment to civil rights and his interest in documenting the social landscape of America. In doing so, he hoped to dispel popular “hillbilly” stereotypes by presenting his subjects in a way that emphasizes their humanity and personality.

Levy also challenges our preconceptions of Appalachian culture by bringing to our attention the racial diversity in the region’s communities and in the coalfields. What is fascinating about Appalachia USA is Levy’s willingness to employ a variety of photographic strategies throughout the work, from deadpan architectural compositions to landscape views and posed portraits, in order to give a broader and more contextualized account of his subject. His last trips to coal communities in the 2000s present expansive aerial views to survey the social and environmental impact of mountaintop removal, blasting, and strip mining.

Levy’s approach to photographing is indebted to the long tradition of American humanist documentary photography. That practice includes reformers like Lewis Hine who used the medium to document the exploitation of child laborers in factories in order to bring the problem to the attention of the public. In the 1930s, Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans recorded the bleak realities of the Great Depression with forceful images that were so sharp and direct they now define that era in the popular consciousness. Levy learned his craft at Brooklyn College from Walter Rosenblum, another noted social documentarian and street photographer whose life’s work strove for a dignified representation of the underprivileged and the marginalized. Like his forerunners, Levy still has faith in the efficacy of the photograph as a way to interpret and teach about the world.

PLAN YOUR LEGACY

The Ringling strives to educate, promote, and celebrate its members in a variety of ways throughout the year. The Ringling has partnered with U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, to present the Planning Your Legacy Speaker Series—a special series focused on topics from managing your own collection to the curious pitfalls encountered with famous estates that lacked proper planning. Each presentation includes a special behind-the-scenes encounter at The Ringling related to the topic.

In October, attorneys Richard Gans and Erin Christy shared their insight on including collectibles in estate plans in order to benefit family and cultural institutions. The attendees also joined Assistant Curator Chris Jones for a private tour of the Behind Closed Doors: Art in the Spanish American Home 1492–1898 Exhibition.

For more information on attending these private events, please contact Anna von Gehr at 941.359.5700, x1-5804.

ART AS LEGACY

FEB 18, 2015

4:00 PM

Michael McCarthy will discuss his involvement with significant charitable transfers from artists Isamu Noguchi and Donald Judd and will detail the difficulties he encountered with Gertrude Stein’s life estate art collection, which she provided to partner Alice B Toklas. McCarthy will also share cautionary tales regarding the bequests of art under the wills of Brooke Astor and Huguette Clark.

Michael E. S. McCarthy is a managing director and chief fiduciary executive in the Office of Chief Fiduciary for U.S. Trust. He currently serves on the Paintings Conservation Council at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

MANAGING

YOUR COLLECTION

APR 15, 2015

4:00 PM

Ramsay Slugg will discuss legal and practical considerations of collecting, managing and disposing of your collection – during life and as part of your estate plan – including involvement of your family and charitable organizations.

Ramsay H. Slugg is a managing director and a member of the National Wealth Planning Strategies Group at U.S. Trust, providing tax and financial planning advisory services to high net worth clients.

TANA SANDEFUR A LASTING LEGACY

to its current thriving state. Their gifts to the “Ringling Now” capital campaign helped to restore the Ca’ d’Zan, build the Tibbals Learning Center and fund the private dining room in Treviso, which is now called the Sandefur room. After John passed away in 2009, Tana carried on by serving on The Ringling’s Board of Directors for two years and served as the Honorary Chair of the Ringling International Arts Festival in 2010.

Tana’s contributions of both time and gifts to The Ringling were enormous, but those philanthropic efforts are only a small measure of her influence. She was what journalist Malcolm Gladwell describes as a “connector.” Everybody knew Tana. They went to her parties, which meant that they heard about her causes. Tana brought several other stakeholders into The Ringling’s inner circle, and she made sure that everyone on a visit to Sarasota took time to see The Ringling.

She had been a part of The Ringling family for almost three decades, and she remained engaged and active until her unexpected passing at age 81 last September.

Tana moved to Sarasota with her husband John in 1981. The Sandefurs built their fortune in home construction and refurbishment in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio, which is also where the couple met—in the engineering library of Ohio State University, their beloved alma mater. The Sandefurs were only in their 50s when they moved to Sarasota, and upon arriving they were excited to throw their efforts into new projects and give back to one of their favorite causes—the arts.

“Sarasota was her town,” Tana’s daughter, Jane Taylor said. “She loved everything about it.”

John and Tana gave to The Sarasota Ballet, to public broadcasting station WEDU and to countless other causes in Sarasota including The Ringling. And it was always John and Tana. Practically inseparable ever since their first meeting, they were united in their cause of providing vital resources for Sarasota organizations.

The Sandefurs joined The Ringling in 1987, and their support would prove to be vital in the renaissance of The Ringling campus

It was at the Museum that Tana cultivated a love for the circus and the history of Sarasota. As much as she gave The Ringling, the museum provided her with a cause to advocate for and to show off her legendary skills as a hostess.

Tana Sandefur Graduation, 1950

“Mom loved huge themed parties,” Debra Sandefur, her daughter said. “She loved to surprise and entertain her guests.”

It should be no surprise then that Tana’s legacy became the focus of opening night at the most recent Ringling International Arts Festival. Almost 100 local dancers performed Bolero Sarasota, in the Museum of Art Courtyard. The dance highlighted Sarasota’s culture and spilled into the audience, many of whom wore a button that said, “Thanks Tana for Keeping Us Dancing!” It was a party that Tana would have loved to have attended, and thanks to her life, gifts, and legacy, one that will live on.

It is impossible to imagine The Ringling without Tana Sandefur.

OUR FRIENDS ARE ON THE GO A GLIMPSE BEHIND-THE-SCENES

THE RINGLING HAS FOUR DISTINCT FRIENDS GROUPS THAT ALLOW YOU TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR MEMBER EXPERIENCE! THESE GROUPS HOST EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND OFFER OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE WITH ARTISTS, PERFORMERS, CURATORS —ALL IN A BEHIND-THE-SCENES SETTING.

FRIENDS OF ART OF OUR TIME

Last October, Friends of Art of Our Time had an amazing opportunity to engage with the Ringling International Arts Festival performance that everyone has been talking about! Friends of Art of Our Time were invited to an exclusive behindthe-scenes preview of Bolero Sarasota, the choreographic event which kicked off this year’s Festival during opening night. Members were able to meet with choreographer Larry Keigwin and Curator of Performance, Dwight Currie as they enjoyed a reception and preview of the performance in the final hours of rehearsal before the big night!

FRIENDS OF THE RINGLING LEGACY

Our Friends of the Ringling Legacy enjoyed a discussion and reception with Deborah Walk, Assistant Director of Legacy and Circus, and Barbara Ramsay, Chief Conservator, for an inside

look at the history and process of restoration of the fabulous De Vos banners. Part of the Tibbals Circus collection, these restored banners were created by prolific scene designer living in Belgium, Frans De Vos (1880-1936). After the presentation, Friends of the Ringling Legacy enjoyed a reception on the stunning Museum of Art Loggia. The De Vos banners are now on display through March 29th.

FRIENDS OF THE ART LIBRARY

On November 15, 2014, Friends of the Library enjoyed incredible behind-the-scenes access to the personal library of John Ringling following the Inside the Vault lecture, An Education: The Personal Library of John Ringling. The group discussed how the Ringlings’ book collection influenced their tastes, fueling the creation of the great museum complex we enjoy today, then enjoyed exclusive access to the book collection itself.

FRIENDS OF ASIAN ART

Last fall, Friends of Asian Art enjoyed the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to engage with one of China’s most intriguing and sensational artists, Li Wei. Known for his performances that often place him in physical danger, Li Wei’s work challenges our perception of reality while providing commentary on contemporary issues in Chinese society. Li Wei’s work is featured in the current exhibition Seeing the Unseen, and his live performance thrilled audiences on November 17. Friends of Asian Art were invited to a reception with the artist Li Wei; the Associate Curator of Asian Art, Fan Zhang; and Coordinator of Cross-Cultural Perspectives Curriculum at Ringling College of Art and Design, Carolyn Bloomer.

DON’T MISS OUT, JOIN NOW!

Members of our Friends Groups enjoy unique opportunities to learn about specific areas in The Ringling’s collections. Annual Dues are $125 per person and you must be a current member of The Ringling to participate. See upcoming programming below or call 941.360.7330 for more information.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

FRIENDS OF ART OF OUR TIME

FEB 11 Dr. Matthew McLendon will further explore the exhibition Re:Purposed along with a exhibition guest artist.

APR 14 Dwight Currie and Dr. Matthew McLendon will raise a toast to Art of Our Time as they continue the conversation with a sneak preview of what’s coming up.

FRIENDS OF THE RINGLING LEGACY

JAN 15 Learn first-hand about the reinstallation of the Museum of Art’s original 21 galleries with Dr. Virginia Brilliant.

APR 13 Join Maureen Zaremba and Kevin Greene for tea in Mable Ringling’s Rose Garden. Learn the story of the rose garden and grounds.

JUN 5 Join Ron McCarty as we explore Dwight James Baum, architect of Ca ‘d’Zan, and Baum’s influence on Sarasota’s unique architectural blueprint.

FRIENDS OF THE ART LIBRARY

FEB 14 Inside the Vault: Fabulous French Fashion. Following the lecture the Friends will have an opportunity to peruse the rare titles and indulge their passion for French fashion (and food!)

MAY 16 Inside the Vault: A Modern Reading. Join Ringling Librarians as we discuss how current publications are the primary medium for perceiving ephemeral contemporary art. Friends will get an opportunity to visit our rare contemporary books.

FRIENDS OF ASIAN ART

MAR 3 Dr. Benita Stambler and Jennifer Lemmer

Posey explore the connection between The Ringling’s collections of circus posters and Asian colonial photographs and how they reflect the perception of Asia in America.

MAY 2

Friends will have the opportunity to view our Asian art pieces during a tour of the conservation lab followed by a reception in the Director’s suite.

Note: Dates and times are subject to change.

HOLOSCENES

Dwight Currie, Associate Director, Curator of Performance

MAR 25 – 28, 2015

Bayfront Gardens, Bolger Campiello

Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, conceptual artist Lars Jan has been “riveted by media images of comparatively frail human figures at the mercy of surging waters, their bodies and movements transformed by this life-giving element momentarily turned against them.”

The catastrophic flooding in Pakistan in 2010 prompted a deeper inquiry into the increasing incidence of devastating floods around the world, and Jan concluded, “the pattern seemed undeniable and relentless.” Then, in 2012, when the rising waters of Hurricane Sandy reached his Brooklyn apartment, Lars Jan (director of the performance + art lab known at Early Morning Opera) began the research that would lead to the creation of Holoscenes – the public art and performance project that will be presented on the Bolger Campiello.

The challenge for Jan was to determine how the complex, over-saturated topic of climate change could be communicated in ways “that hit people in their gut?” He met that challenge with a mesmerizing work of movement/installation art that elicits a very real and immediate visceral response.

As Jan describes the work, “Inside a massive aquarium, a single performer simulates an everyday behavior that collaborators around the world have submitted by video — such as making ramen in Japan or fixing a fishing net in Rwanda. Driven by streams of environmental data, water surges in and out at varying speeds, deluging the performers while they adapt their behaviors to this cycle of endless mini-floods — a collision of the patterns both making up our lives and transforming our biosphere.”

The Ringling’s affiliation with Lars Jan began in 2012 with a conversation about predictions of climate change and rising waters that place the first floor of the magnificent Ca’ d’Zan below sea level before the end of this century. Given the potency of presenting this powerful work in that context, The Ringling stepped forward to co-commission Holoscenes for a site-specific installation/performance on Sarasota’s rising bayfront.

THANK YOU TO OUR 2014 – 2015 ART OF PERFORMANCE SPONSORS

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

Bank of America

DIRECTOR

Gerri Aaron

Charles L. Huisking/ Huisking Fund at Community Foundation of Sarasota County

Charlotte and Charles Perret

Publix Super Markets Charities

Ina Schnell

SpringHill Suites by Marriott

PATRON

Blalock Walters, P.A.

The Cowles Charitable Trust

Cumberland Advisors

Dan Denton and Ramses Serrano

Franklin Templeton Investments

Guest Services, Inc. dba Treviso

Home Resource

Icard Merrill

Macy’s

Dick and Betty Watt Nimtz

Nancy and Chuck Parrish

The L. Marie Charitable Fund/

Lisa Reese

Tana Sandefur

Stephen and Judith Shank

Willis Smith Construction

Woman’s Exchange Inc.

IN-KIND SUPPORT

Florida Trend Magazine

McMurry/TMG

Arrive Magazine

Observer Media Group

Sarasota Magazine

Scene Magazine

SpringHill Suites

by Marriott

SRQ Media Group

WEDU–Florida

West Coast

Public Broadcasting

WUSF Public Media

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR DONATIONS

Lucia and Steven Almquist

Barbara and Martin Arch

Dr. Susan M. Brainerd and Alan R. Quinby

Bernice Sapirstein Davis

FH Weddings & Events

Gold Coast Eagle Distributing

Gulf Coast Destinations, Inc.

Mezzacorona

Papered Heart Photography

Transatlantic Wine & Spirits of Florida

U.S. Tent Rental, Inc.

Photos courtesy of the artist

TRENTON DOYLE HANCOCK

Matthew

APR 17 – SEP 13, 2015

Museum

In April, The Ringling will premiere a new project by the acclaimed American artist, Trenton Doyle Hancock. Hancock was selected by a national panel of museum curators as the 2013 recipient of the Greenfield Prize awarded in conjunction with The Hermitage Artist Retreat. Over the past decade, Hancock has become known as one of the most inventive artists at work today. He is best known for his extended series of visual work that develops the intricate personal mythology of the Mounds and the Vegans, two diametrically opposed universal forces that play out the archetypal battle between good and evil. His work provides the space for him to develop complicated visual narratives with many plots and subplots, and this personal cosmology has been explored in works on paper, painting, installations, and even a ballet. Hancock mines traditionally ‘high’ and ‘low’ cultural sources to produce his own visual universe citing influences as varied as Hieronymus Bosch and Max Ernst to the outsider artist Henry Darger and the cartoonist/illustrator R. Crumb.

Trenton Doyle Hancock is an avid collector of action figures, a passion that began for him in childhood. His Greenfield Commission will be the first step down the path of a completely new and monumental project. Mining the personal mythology he has created, Hancock is now interested

in seeing the characters that make up this narrative come to life. This exhibition will be the first phase in realizing a new series of action figures and dolls as well as a film in the guise of a television commercial promoting these characters. According to Hancock in this commercial, “the product that I would be selling [would] not only [be the] toys but sensibilities from another time, a time when toys were better, when horror films and children’s fantasy entertainment was better.” So, through this project, he will circle back to his childhood fascinations with horror films and action figures, fascinations which have carried over into adulthood and influenced his multi-faceted oeuvre. This exhibition will provide an entrance into the working process of one of the most celebrated artists of his generation as well as a tantalizing glimpse at his vision for the next phase of his artistic practice.

Trenton Doyle Hancock will be collaborating with the University of South Florida GraphicStudio to produce the toys and packaging. As such, this project will be the fruition of three of the Gulf Coast’s leading arts institutions: The Ringling, GraphicStudio, and The Hermitage Artist Retreat demonstrating again the dynamism of our cultural landscape and our commitment to the highest level of artistic achievement.

This exhibition was paid for in part by the State of Florida Cultural Endowment Program.

McLendon, Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art

of Art, Searing Wing

Photograph courtesy of Savannah College of Art and Design

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

Additional support was generously provided by the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation Endowment, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and and The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Foundation.

CENTER FOR ASIAN ART

UPDATE ON THE RINGLING’S ASIAN ART INITIATIVE

David Berry, Assistant Director, Curatorial

The Ringling’s new center for Asian art is the most recent in a series of significant museum buildings designed by the Bostonbased architectural firm of Machado and Silvetti Associates. The principal architect is Argentinian-born Rodolfo Machado, who has served for many years as Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at Harvard University. His projects have been extensively featured in publications and exhibitions at museums and galleries around the world.

Construction is progressing rapidly under the supervision of experienced local contractor, Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. Willis Smith has a long-standing relationship with The Ringling, having been involved in the construction of the Visitors Pavilion, Tibbals Learning Center, and Searing Wing.

The most distinctive feature will be its façade, clad in greenglazed, terra cotta panels, produced by Boston Valley Terra Cotta, based in suburban Buffalo, New York. One of the leading manufacturers of architectural terra cotta in the United States, Boston Valley specializes in both new construction and restoration of historic buildings, including The Ringling’s own Ca’ d’Zan

Detail, glazed terra cotta panels

While digitally designed, the panels are pressed in molds and finished by hand. Inspired by Asian art objects such as Chinese jades, the color of the panels is sympathetic to the surrounding landscape, of which the building will offer spectacular views. The curved shapes and reflective surfaces of the panels will result in a combination of light and shade, ever-changing throughout the day, which will compliment the Skyspace, Joseph’s Coat, by artist James Turrell, located directly to the north.

Construction is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2015. After the installation of the new displays, the center itself will open to the public in the spring of 2016.

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS

In the next two years, The Ringling will collaborate with renowned museums outside the United States to present two fascinating exhibitions of Asian art. These exhibitions will feature objects of great artistic and historical value, which will undoubtedly enhance both public appreciation of and scholarly interest in Asian material culture in America.

ROYAL TASTE: THE ART OF PRINCELY COURTS IN 15TH-CENTURY CHINA

OPENING OCTOBER 2015

This exhibit will feature more than 100 objects from the Hubei Provincial Museum in China, the majority of which have never before traveled abroad. Most notably, the exhibition will showcase archaeological finds from recently excavated royal tombs that illustrate the luxurious life of princely courts in early and mid-Ming China (1368-1644).

Highlights include gold vessels and jewelry from the tomb of Prince Zhuang of Liang (d. 1440s), religious statues from the sacred Daoist Wudang Mountain, and blue-and-white porcelain wares and master paintings from the collection of the Hubei Provincial Museum. Major themes explored in the exhibition will include the patronage of the early Ming emperor Yongle and his princes on Daoist and Tibetan Buddhist art, and the role of princely courts in defining late imperial Chinese art.

SAMURAI: THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR

OPENING JANUARY 2016

This exhibit will showcase about 90 objects illustrating the legendary life and culture of the samurai warriors of historical Japan, lent from the Stibbert Museum in Florence, Italy. The Ringling is proud to be one of only three venues in the United States to host this important traveling exhibition, which is the first to feature Japanese art from the Stibbert collection outside Europe.

Visitors to the exhibition will see not only spectacular arms and armor, but also beautiful lacquer boxes and standing screens that illustrate the taste of the samurai class under the influence of Zen Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shintoism. In the process, visitors will gain a greater understanding of how the samurai tradition influenced other Japanese art forms, such as painting, calligraphy, tea preparation/presentation, and gardening.

Steven High touring Boston Valley Terra Cotta

A bird’s-eye view of the progress

The Ringling MUSEUM STORE

a. Make a statement with this stunning necklace of Lucite and Polaris accentuated with glass and Swarovski rondells. $245

b. Make playtime even more fun with this plush circus set of five soft circus animals and colorful tent. $28

c. Art, Circus, and Ca’ d’Zan motifs decorate our assortment of elegant serveware. $8 – $25

10:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Thursdays until 8:00 PM

941.359.5700 x1110

TheRinglingStore.org

MEMBERS RECEIVE 10% OFF PURCHASES ALL YEAR!

c.