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

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.