NATASHA MAZURKA ORDER SYSTEMS

ON

VIEW MAR 17 – SEP 19

Order Systems, the first US solo museum exhibition by Natasha Mazurka, debuts a new body of paintings, embossings, and site-specific installations using textured layers of colored vinyl. Mazurka’s work centers on the communicative potential of pattern by sampling and combining visual references from a spectrum of disciplines, including architecture and biology, data analytics, and instructional code. The resulting visual syntax seen in her work stems from intense research looking into different pattern languages and ways they are designed to lend order to our experiences. Through processes of manipulation and synthesis, her projects flatter and disturb concepts of certainty and stability residing within pattern systems existing all around us.

The Index (2014 – present) is an ongoing catalogue of studies created through the process of meticulous hand embossing where rules have been set to generate new forms. Mazurka places focus on the potential for pattern to transform materially and conceptually with limited means: lines, nodes, curves, and geometric shapes. Coursing between disciplines openly and continuously, each image is a science fiction derived from sampling patterns from scientific, technological, and digital realms. Index XVIII, Set One (2015) recalls the visual representation of the futuristic dystopia in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927), the German expressionist sciencefiction film that explored themes of industrialization, mass production, and political unrest. Mazurka makes use of Art Deco architecture depicted in the film as an interface with contemporary digital and technological matrices. Here, and throughout The Index, the presentation of the work—centered and organized as a catalogue—alludes to the history of visualizing microscopic and macroscopic phenomena through scientific illustration.

Mazurka’s large-scale vinyl patterns reference how the syntax we employ to structure our physical and social environments is a reflection of our thoughts, desires, and anxieties. Fusing color, design, and informational languages from different periods, these site-specific, mixed media installations bring into focus the opposing, and sometimes contradictory, aesthetic approaches used throughout history to communicate and visualize information.

In her most recent work, richly patterned compositions indulge in the illusion of beauty that stems from repetition and a sense of order. However, Mazurka inserts these patterns with social narratives concerned with notions of conformity, and the covert imposition of structure on behavior. Works such as All Flesh (2018) borrow from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), a science fiction set in a totalitarian society. Like Atwood’s novel, the themes in the new patterns are from a gendered experience; affirmation and acceptance, the duty of motherhood, the concept of being nurturing, and the surveillance of the female body and its functions.

Through her interdisciplinary analysis, Mazurka questions the communicative potential of aesthetic systems and social structures as found in contemporary and historical modes of representing order.

Member News

Member Travel

Traveling with the Museum Travel Alliance (MTA) connects Ringling Members with other museum enthusiasts. Offering curatorial expertise and behind-the-scenes itineraries, MTA gives travelers the opportunity to see the world and experience incredible art and culture first hand. ringling.org/travel

Travel with The Ringling! We are always planning Member day trips to various institutions in our area for our Members who love to visit museums and cultural sites. Invitations to all Members come through email, and more information can be found on our website. Stay tuned for more exciting opportunities!

KEEP UP-TO-DATE

As a Ringling Member, you receive free or discounted tickets to many of the offerings at The Ringling. We encourage you to regularly visit ringling.org, in order to keep up-to-date on all the upcoming exhibitions, performances, programs, and events.

Ringling By The Bay

Join us for live music and dancing right on the bay! All Members receive the discounted rate of $5 for Ringling by the Bay tickets. We encourage you to buy your tickets early—this popular event sells out quickly!

ATTENTION LONG-TIME MEMBERS

Have you been a member for 15 years or more? Watch your mailbox for your invitation to our Legacy Society Luncheon March 21, 2019!

Exhibition Previews

Knights

Drawn from the collections of the Museo Stibbert in Florence, Italy, Knights reveals the figure of the knight in the Middle Ages and Renaissance through 100 exquisite objects, including full suits of armor, helmets, corselets, swords, and other weaponry.

Interpolations: Artworks from The Ringling and Monda Collections

Modern and contemporary artworks, including works by artists Teo González, Yayoi Kusama, and Richard Serra.

Natasha Mazurka: Order Systems

The first US solo museum exhibition by Natasha Mazurka debuts a new body of paintings, embossings, and sitespecific installations.

 VIP MEMBER EXHIBITION PREVIEW AND RECEPTION

Supporting, Partner, and Circle Members are invited to a reception to preview the exhibition before it opens to the public.

THU, JAN 31, 5:00 – 7:00 PM

Knights

THU, MAR 14, 5:00 – 7:00 PM

Interpolations and Natasha Mazurka

 MEMBER PREVIEW DAY

All Members are invited to preview new exhibitions before they open to the public. Join us for family activities, catered refreshments, and an additional 5% discount at the Museum Store!

SAT, FEB 2, 10:00 AM – NOON

Knights

SAT, MAR 16, 10:00 AM – NOON Interpolations and Natasha Mazurka

$100 MILLION WAYS TO SAY THANK YOU!

SAT, APR 6, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Supporting, Partner, and Circle Level Members are invited to a unique event to show our appreciation for your generous support of The Ringling.

Coffee And Conversation

THU, APR 11, 9:00 – 10:30 AM

Join Steven High, Executive Director, for a presentation highlighting upcoming programs and exhibitions.

Blossoms Garden Party

SAT, APR 13 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Brunch in the beauty of the Rose Garden as we celebrate Mable’s birthday.

BECOME A FRIEND OF THE RINGLING!

Want to participate in more behindthe-scenes events and programs with curators and like-minded Members? Customize your Membership by adding a Friends Group! As a Friend, you will have unique opportunities to explore the areas specific to your chosen group, connect with others who share similar interests, and enjoy several special events and programs throughout the year.

Annual Dues are $125 per person per group in addition to your regular Membership dues. Your annual dues provide an important source of support for The Ringling. For more information, or to join, call 941-360-7330.

If you have questions or updates regarding your membership, please call the membership department directly at 941.360.7330.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Member Spotlight

Lois and Bernard Watson

For retired educator Lois Watson and her husband Dr. Bernard Watson, becoming a member of The Ringling was a natural choice. The Watsons are well known in cultural circles from Philadelphia to Sarasota for not only the extensive work they currently do in retirement but also for their important professional careers. While Dr. Watson’s legendary resume is extensive—saving the renowned art collection of Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation when he chaired the foundation’s board, Lois’s time as an educator was just as impactful on their community. The Watsons relocated to Sarasota part-time in 1994 and made their permanent home here in 2002. They have avidly enjoyed coming to the museum with friends, family, social organizations, and especially their four grandchildren. “The Ringling is our neighbor. We love coming to see the beautiful grounds, taking our grandkids to the Summer Circus in the Historic Asolo Theater, attending performances and exhibitions, and we have especially enjoyed learning about the Art of Our Time modern and contemporary art initiative at The Ringling. We are so fortunate because it’s all right here at this museum.”

Circle Member News

We have several opportunities planned for you to visit with our curators and get involved with our collections. You will be receiving invitations with additional details. Keep an eye on your mailbox and email. As always, feel free to call with any questions! We look forward to seeing everyone soon. Sharon Freddes 941-359-5821 sharon.freddes@ringling.fsu.edu.

SAVE THE DATES

THU, JAN 10, 5:00 – 7:00 PM

Behind the Scenes of the Museum of Art

Dr. Sarah Cartwright will guide us through the reinstallation of galleries 16, 17, and 18.

WED, JAN 30, 5:30 – 9:00 PM

Circle Member Exhibition Preview and Dinner Knights

This extraordinary exhibition reveals the figure of the knight in medieval and Renaissance Europe.

FEB 12, 5:00 – 7:00 PM

Chairman Circle Member Collector’s Evening Stories from the Collection hosted by The Ringling Curators

In Memory

WED, MAR 13, 5:30 – 9:00 PM

Circle Member Exhibition Preview and Dinner

Interpolations: Artworks from The Ringling and Monda Collections

Bringing together artworks from The Ringling's permanent collection of modern and contemporary art and selections from the Keith D. and Linda L. Monda collection.

Natasha Mazurka: Order Systems

The first solo US museum exhibition by Natasha Mazurka debuts a new body of painting, embossings, and site-specific installations.

SAT, APR 6, 5:30 – 7:30 PM

Circle Recognition and Donor Reception Campaign Celebration

$100 Million Ways to Say We Thank You!

We have been saddened by the recent loss of so many of our colleagues, friends, and donors. Each one of them brought their passion, enthusiasm, and dedication to The Ringling. We are fortunate they crossed our paths and left us with lasting memories. We are grateful to have known them. They touched our lives. They inspire us each day.

Robert Carr | Steve Dunay | Irma Eison | Barbara Lemisch

Carlos Riviera | James Roque | Michelle Scalera

Betty Schoenbaum | Steve Seidensticker

There are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they have gone the light remains.