RINGLING MUSEUM OF ART FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Margaret D. Hausberg, Chair
H. Michael Bush, Vice Chair
David W. Benfer, Treasurer
Mercedes Soler-Martinez, Secretary
Jasleen “Ritu” Anand
Adele Fleet Bacow
Semmes Brightman
Rebecca Donelson
Frances Ferguson
Michael A. Fornaro
Elma Glisson
Allison Gregory
Ronald A. Johnson
E. Marie McKee
Janice Tibbals Mobley
Xochitl Napoles
Howard D. Noble, Jr.
Gregory Parris
Frederic D. Pfening, III
Kelly A. Romanoff
Ellen Sandor
Mayra N. Schmidt
Judith Shank
James B. Stewart
Keebler J. Straz
Kirk Ke Wang
EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBER
Marla Vickers
ISSN 2165-4085
Late winter and spring are truly magical at The Ringling. The gardens burst with vibrant roses and blossoming trees; the weather is simply perfect, and hurricane worries are far behind us. This is our busiest and most delightful season, with visitors from every US state and around the world joining us to celebrate art, nature, and community. Nearly half of our annual guests arrive between January and April, yet there’s always room for more friends to explore and enjoy.
Step into our galleries and discover inspiring exhibitions! Experience the dynamic Nuestro Vaivén (Our Sway) in the West Searing Wing and the breathtaking As Earth is to Sky: Selections from the Gift of Murray Bring and Kathleen Delaney Bring and The Ringling Collection of Modern & Contemporary Art in the East Searing Wing. Enjoy In the Flesh: The Nude in Modern Japan in the Charles and Robyn Citrin Gallery which opens February 21. Marvel at Juana Romani’s rediscovered masterpieces in Gallery 20 and immerse yourself in the beauty of seventeenth-century Dutch paintings in Gallery 10. The Monda Gallery dazzles with Ancestral Edge: Abstraction and Symbolism in the Works of Nine Native American Women Artists, highlighting these artists’ creativity. And do not miss our newest treasure: Ancient Art from Cyprus and the Mediterranean, featuring over 200 remarkable works from our permanent collection shown together for the first time.
This year, The Ringling celebrates 25 years of partnership with Florida State University (FSU). Since 2000, FSU’s stewardship has helped The Ringling flourish. Our venues have more than doubled in size, welcoming new spaces like Joseph’s Coat: A Skyspace by James Turrell and the Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion. Together, we nurture future educators and curators and deepen connections with our beloved Sarasota and Manatee communities.
We invite you to experience The Ringling’s wonders during this beautiful season. Your support and membership make all the difference, helping us grow and thrive. Come explore, be inspired, and create joyful memories— your next visit is sure to be unforgettable!
Steven High Executive Director
Photo of Ahamefule J. Oluo by Hanan
A CLOSER LOOK
Sarah Sense's Brooklyn Alligator
By Ola Wlusek, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
WHO CREATED THIS ARTWORK?
Sarah Sense is a Chitimacha/ Choctaw artist from Sacramento, CA. She received a BFA from California State University, Chico, and an MFA from Parsons School of Design, New York. Sense has been practicing photo weaving with traditional basket techniques from her Chitimacha and Choctaw family since 2004.
WHERE IS THIS WORK FROM?
Brooklyn Alligator is from Sense’s recent photo-weaving series I Want to Hold You Longer. The series draws inspiration from Chitimacha and Choctaw baskets held in museum collections at the Brooklyn Museum, Montclair Art Museum, and Worcester Art Museum.
The exhibition catalog is available for purchase in the Museum Store
WHY DID THE ARTIST MAKE THIS WORK?
Sense created Brooklyn Alligator to explore themes of memory, ancestry, and cultural identity, while honoring her Chitimacha and Choctaw heritage. By blending traditional basket weaving with contemporary photography, she not only preserves Indigenous practices but also questions the complex history of how Native objects—like baskets— have been collected and displayed in museums. Through this work, Sense reclaims these cultural stories, reconnects with tradition, and brings greater visibility to Indigenous histories that are often overlooked or misunderstood in institutional spaces.
The pattern is based on a traditional Choctaw basket design called the alligator entrails pattern, taken from a basket with a lid dating back to the early 1900s that is in the Brooklyn Museum’s collection. The diamond shapes throughout the work are also inspired by the imprint of smashed sea grapes, fruits native to the Gulf’s coastal areas. Additionally, the three braids that extend horizontally beyond the central image represent the artist’s grandmothers and herself, symbolizing the connection and weaving together of generations through time.
WHAT STORY DOES IT CARRY?
This work honors the legacy of Chitimacha and Choctaw women who, in the Louisiana bayous, wove baskets as a vital means of survival—economically, culturally, and spiritually—during periods of immense hardship, including colonization, forced displacement, and assimilation policies. Sense draws from her Choctaw heritage and connects it to the shared histories of other southeastern Native tribes—such as the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole—who were forcibly removed from their homelands under the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This violent policy led to the Trail of Tears, a devastating journey for Native Americans to what is now Oklahoma.
WHAT DOES THE ARTIST SAY ABOUT THIS WORK?
“The photo weavings in I Want to Hold You Longer honor the weavers and their baskets. I am leaning on historians to share perspectives of what the baskets may have been made for and for whom. While we can’t know exactly who made which basket and at what time, we can acknowledge that there is a history of weaving for the purpose of collecting and weaving for the purpose of survival . . . .This process of weaving together past, present, and future broadens the visual experience to something that is felt and not seen.”
HOW WAS THIS WORK MADE?
Sense creates these works by printing photographs—often of ancestral landscapes, family, or Native objects—and cutting them into strips, which she then hand-weaves using traditional Chitimacha and Choctaw patterns.
WHERE TO FIND IT
Ancestral Edge: Abstraction and Symbolism in the Works of Nine Native American Women Artists THROUGH APR 12
Keith D. Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art
IN THE FLESH: THE NUDE IN MODERN JAPAN
By Rhiannon Paget, PhD Curator of Asian Art
Scandal erupted in 1895, when painter Kuroda Seiki, newly returned from a decade spent studying in France, exhibited Morning Toilette (1893) at the fourth National Industrial Exhibition in Kyoto (fig. 1). The painting featured a starkly realistic, full-frontal portrayal of a woman standing naked before a mirror as she arranges her blonde hair.
European-trained artists like Kuroda worked in a tradition dating back to ancient Greece, where depictions of male and female nudes conveyed ideas and beliefs. This subject also tested anatomical knowledge and technical skill, while affirming masculinity, since formal study of the nude was typically restricted to men. For Japanese advocates of Western-style painting, the nude signified an enlightened, modern outlook.
Although the judges in Kyoto awarded Morning Toilette Second Prize, some critics decried the painting as an affront to public morals and Japan’s artistic heritage. Kuroda’s nonclassical treatment of his subject also seemed to offer little cultural edification to the Japanese public. In Japan, representations of nudity had been largely limited to pornographic prints (shunga) that flourished during the Edo period (1615–1868).
Over the next few years, the exhibition of artworks featuring nudes provoked fierce debate and censorship. In the infamous “Loincloth Incident” of 1901, authorities ordered another painting by Kuroda to be
OPPOSITE PAGE
FIG. 1 Kuroda Seiki (Japanese, 1866–1924), Morning Toilette, 1893. Oil on canvas, 178.5 x 98 cm. Destroyed in World War II. Public Domain
THIS PAGE, LEFT TO RIGHT
FIG. 2 Torii Kotondo (Japanese, 1900–1976), Combing Hair, 1929, published by Sakai Shōkichi and Kawaguchi Jirō. Woodblock print, ink and color on paper. Collection of Charles and Robyn Citrin, IL2026.1.1.3
FIG. 3 Kobayashi Donge (Japanese, 1926–2022), Romance, from the portfolio Salome: Fire Maiden, 1976. Etching, ink on Rives® BFK paper, 18 5/16 × 13 3/4 in. Museum purchase, 2025.41.3
partly veiled with a curtain. Gradually, however, the nude gained respectability and entered the repertoire of Western- and Japanese-style painting, printmaking, sculpture, and beyond. Male and female nudes even began to appear as mythical and allegorical figures in public monuments commissioned by government agencies.
Presenting prints and one painting from the 1930s to the 1980s, In the Flesh explores how Japanese artists reimagined the nude over the twentieth century.
Shin hanga (New Prints) artists of the 1920s–30s, almost exclusively male, drew from the themes and sensibilities of eighteenth to nineteenthcentury ukiyo-e, catering largely to Western audiences (fig. 2). While Shin hanga artists like Torii Kotondo created serene images of demure young women, Ishikawa Toraji’s racy paintings and prints of confident “modern girls” (moga) tested the limits of decorum. In the postwar era, life drawing sessions invited new explorations of form and surface texture in the work of Saitō Kiyoshi, while Maekawa Senpan reclaimed the nude in a multi-series ode to Japan’s hot spring resorts. Finally, Kobayashi Donge reprised the femme fatale Salome as a symbol of female desire and agency during the rise of the postwar feminism movement (fig. 3).
In the Flesh: The Nude in Modern Japan opens February 21 in the Charles and Robyn Citrin Gallery.
AN ARTIST AROUND US
In Conversation with Ahamefule J. Oluo
By Elizabeth Doud, PhD
Currie-Kohlmann Curator of Performance
Ahamefule J. Oluo is a boundary-breaking musician, composer, writer, comedian, and performance artist whose work spans jazz, narrative theater, stand-up, and experimental sound. The Art of Performance series will feature a five-night run of Oluo’s unipersonal work The Things Around Us from February 28 to March 6, 2026. Oluo’s cross-genre fluency has evolved since they became a versatile force in the Seattle arts scene, fusing jazz improvisation, punk energy, and comedic sensibility across collaborations with artists from John Zorn to Macklemore. I first encountered Oluo’s work in a 2020 presentation of Susan, the second work in their jazz-storytelling trilogy. The seventeen-plus member work was lush, hilarious, and musically quilted in a way that left me yearning to watch it a second and third time. The pandemic made touring the work to Sarasota impossible and—because I had been carrying this appetite for Oluo’s work since then—I savored experiencing The Things Around Us in January 2025. It did not disappoint.
Between jazz, comedy, and theater, Oluo has built a body of work in which music and storytelling fertilely coexist. Their critically acclaimed autobiographical piece Now I’m Fine (2014–2016) traced the sudden death of their father and their resulting grief. The follow-up show, Susan (2020), focused on their mother’s life and resilience. The Things Around Us (2024–25) is the trilogy’s culminating piece. Unlike the first two deeply autobiographical works, this third chapter is a solitary voyage in which Oluo steps back as narrator to become
a conduit for others’ stories while still commanding the show’s musical voice. Looping technology plays a central role, as Oluo creates the musical score in real time, electronically layering clarinet, trumpet, and everyday objects as instruments.
The piece originated during the pandemic’s forced isolation and blossomed into a full-length live show built in solitary persistence. In many ways, it encapsulates Oluo’s evolution— from jazz-punk ensemble leader to solo, multihyphenate artist wielding technology and stories with equal finesse. Even though the audience is experiencing a solo performance, the sound is substantial. It is a weighted blanket that builds in gravity as you ride along with the artist in a spaceship voyage to a restful, funny, and poignantly virtuosic intergalactic rest stop. In a recent interview with Oluo, I asked about their creative drive and the making of The Things Around Us
Why do you make theater and perform?
I’m like a lot of people, in that if it weren’t for art, I wouldn’t have made it through this world, so I feel greatly indebted to it. The way I repay my debt is to just try and make things like those given to me through art. I try and pass that forward, and that means if I’m going to make something, I need to have brutal honesty. I need to know that I’m doing all the work I can be doing to have it impact people in the most honest and real way.
With your suite of works, did you know you were making a trilogy, and what are some connecting threads people might want to know about?
I didn’t know I was making a trilogy, and in fact, when I was making Now I’m Fine, I didn’t even know I was making a stage show. I was working separately as a musician and composer and then also as a stand-up comic and didn’t combine them— until I realized that the two different fields really amplified each other. I was just writing a lot of both music and stories, and it was almost a surprise that I had written a stage show. We can think of a musician and a stand-up comic like trades in a
certain way—more than ‘fine arts,’—so the idea of presenting my work in a theater-like production was an afterthought. I never studied theater growing up, but I organically made the first show about personal things regarding my relationship with my father and his sudden illness. Susan , about my mother, was my own reaction to my first show.
Once I had made both shows, the third was another reaction in which I didn’t want to talk about myself or my own personal
relationships anymore. With The Things Around Us , I could spend a lot of time writing and rehearsing by myself, running the show over and over again finding different ways to say things with deep nuance. You can’t do that when you have twenty-one people in your cast and a certain amount of money. You can only rehearse so much with a group that big, so digging into the words and into every note was something I was able to do in this solo show. The reason I say it’s a trilogy is because as soon as I really got to the point where this show was complete, it just felt like the end of a story.
You have such a strong command of the stage theatrically. Was it hard to break into the theater space from the worlds of a musician and comic?
I have one weird trick, which is that stand-up comedy is one of the most difficult environments to work in. If you build these longer-scale jokes that are more intricate and get them to work in a stand-up comedy environment, then it’s a trialby-fire method that I’ve used to build all the shows. I have done rigorous testing in comedy clubs and comedy nights at different bars, open mics . . . That’s always been a big part of my writing. It’s very important to have brutally honest feedback in an environment that can’t lie to you. That’s the beautiful thing about comedy and laughter; people don’t laugh at things they don’t find funny. It’s an involuntary response: you either laugh or you don’t. It’s not just the amount of laughter, it’s the kind of laughter and what the laughter means, and why people are laughing. But the beautiful thing about stand-up as an art form is that you do have to get people to laugh. If you play bad music, then you’ve just done music badly. But if you do standup, and you don’t make people laugh, then you haven’t done comedy at all.
In a creative landscape where genre-lines blur, Ahamefule J. Oluo stands out as an artist who embraces hybridity—musical, narrative, technological, personal. The trilogy that leads to The Things Around Us is not just a sequence of works, but a map of an evolving artistic self, one that uses tools to sculpt sound, story, and connection. Audiences fortunate enough to see this latest show will witness an artist at full command of technology, instrument, and tale.
EXPLORING CREATIVITY
At The Ringling, kids don’t just view art—they create it! Free, year-round museum programs invite families with children of all ages to explore their creativity. Each spring, their brushes hit the side of the giant mobile NOMAD Art Bus, turning it into a rolling canvas of color and laughter.
Founded in 2013 by social-practice artist Carrie Boucher, NOMADstudio—short for Neighborhood-Oriented Mobile Art and Design studio—launched in 2014 with a clear belief: creative expression is a human right. NOMAD’s mission is to strengthen resilience, shine a light on systemic disparities, and bring art to people who rarely have access to it. “It’s true that culture is created by artists and performers whose work is celebrated and elevated for public display,” says Boucher. “We must not forget that it’s also created by everyday people in every neighborhood. It is the connective tissue of humanity, and everybody’s contributions are important.”
Our partnership with NOMAD began during the Skyway 20/21: A Contemporary Collaboration exhibition, when Boucher brought the city bus-sized Art Bus to the estate for its months-long run. During that time, she collaborated with local teaching artist Kat Sjogren and Ringling Community Relations Coordinator Caitlyn Shanley to launch a Neighborhood Microcamp with the Sarasota Housing Authority, a longtime museum partner. This outdoor program offered open-ended art projects that encouraged creativity, collaboration, and connection—reflecting NOMAD and The Ringling’s shared mission to make art accessible to all. “NOMAD’s approach aligns perfectly with how we think about outreach at the museum, meeting people where they are in the community, and creating safe spaces for self-expression, joy, and connection,” Shanley adds.
Since then, we have continued our partnership with NOMAD and the Sarasota Housing Authority, bringing the Art Bus back to Sarasota each year. With support from The Patterson Foundation, NOMAD has joined the Suncoast Remake Learning Days celebration for the past two years, transforming the bus into a community-wide art installation as children and families paint it together.
“We share NOMADstudio’s belief in the power of art to build happier, more connected communities,” says The Ringling’s Youth and Family Coordinator Ames MortonWinter “and that all people deserve access to creative opportunities.”
Suncoast Remake Learning Days is made possible thanks to The Patterson Foundation.
Rubens Gallery in the Museum of Art
Celebrating
25 YEARS
of Florida State University’s Transformative Stewardship
Over the last 25 years, Florida State University (FSU) has revitalized and transformed The Ringling, enabling the museum to preserve the legacy of its founders, John and Mable Ringling, and to build upon their vision of providing Floridians with education and inspiration through a world-class art collection, awe-inspiring architecture, and lush green spaces.
In 2000, FSU assumed governance of The Ringling, the State Art Museum of Florida. This has proven to be a crucial moment in the museum’s history, bringing the estate into a new era of flourishing.
Key leadership at the time—Florida Senate President John M. McKay and Senator Bob Johnson, and then-Ringling Board Chair Vern Buchanan, Bob Blalock, and other local leaders—identified FSU as an ideal partner to restore, reinvigorate, and reimagine this remarkable gift left to the state of Florida. With a long history in Sarasota and a vision for The Ringling, FSU set itself apart from other stewardship options.
This special section celebrates the many ways The Ringling has prospered under FSU’s exemplary stewardship. The Ringling now has a healthy endowment, a strong financial foundation, and a surplus reserve. State funding for The Ringling is delivered back fivefold to taxpayers. Perhaps most important of all, The Ringling’s primary responsibility—to preserve and conserve this historic estate and its collections—has been ensured through FSU’s consistent commitment.
Today, The Ringling is one of the largest universitybased art museums in the US. It is a testament to the power of partnership and collaboration between the state, the university, and the vibrant Sarasota and Manatee communities—a partnership that preserves history, inspires learning, and keeps the arts alive for generations to come.
—Jim Clark, PhD, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Florida State University
A STRONG AND STEADY PARTNERSHIP
Upon assuming stewardship of The Ringling, FSU enthusiastically committed to preserving and elevating the estate into a museum complex fit for the twentyfirst century. FSU’s engagement ignited a steady flow of crucial administrative, financial, and operational support that strengthens every aspect of the museum. This stable structure empowers The Ringling’s talented staff and faculty to create a world-class experience. They welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the globe annually, host programs, and present exhibitions, while FSU’s expertise supports the completion of large, complex projects.
HIGHLIGHT
TIBBALS LEARNING CENTER
The Tibbals Learning Center was an initial spark of genius made possible by the generosity and vision of donors Howard and Janice Tibbals. FSU’s matching funds for the Tibbals Learning Center created the donor confidence vital to developing and sustaining the dynamic philanthropic culture that continues to support The Ringling today. For twenty years, the Tibbals Learning Center has offered visitors a rarified opportunity to explore the history of the circus, discover its significant impact on American culture, and celebrate the artistry of the circus community.
Museum of Art Courtyard
FSU stewardship ensures that future generations of visitors will have the opportunity to marvel at both the complexities of the American circus and how it inspired Howard’s passion to recreate that magical world in miniature with the Howard Bros. Circus Model.
Janice Tibbals Mobley, Member of The Ringling Museum of Art Foundation Board of Directors
Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion
BUILDING EXPANSION
The first year of FSU’s stewardship began with a threefold vision to renew, maintain, and expand. Of immediate concern was the restoration of Ca’ d’Zan, followed by construction plans for the Tibbals Learning Center, the John M. McKay Visitors Pavilion, and more. In 2016, the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian Art opened. This evolution continues today, with projects such as the revival of the Rupp Pavilion and exciting plans to enhance the Historic Circus Galleries for future visitors.
HIGHLIGHT
JOHN M. MCKAY VISITORS PAVILION
The John M. McKay Visitors Pavilion opened in 2006, welcoming visitors to the growing museum and estate. Visitors enter through a spacious lobby that leads to the Historic Asolo Theater, the Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion, and a performance studio that hosts community masterclasses, not to mention a restaurant, café, museum store, and a children’s welcome center.
Original Gatehouse to The Ringling estate
COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITION GROWTH
In the years since FSU assumed stewardship of The Ringling, the increase in exhibition space, institutional stability, and development of a strong donor base enabled a massive expansion of The Ringling's collection holdings. This acquisition, exhibition, and research are the key to creating a world-class encyclopedic museum where visitors can explore art across time and cultures from antiquity to contemporary times.
HIGHLIGHT
ULLA R. AND ARTHUR F. SEARING WING + TING TSUNG AND WEI FONG CHAO CENTER FOR ASIAN ART
Gallery expansion began in 2007 with the Searing Wing. The Chao Center for Asian Art, opened in 2016, celebrates the breadth and depth of the historical and contemporary arts of Asia. These spaces, along with the Keith D. Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art and the Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion, mark this impressive growth beyond John and Mable Ringling’s original 21 Galleries.
Ancestral Edge: Abstraction and Symbolism in the Works of Nine Native American Women Artists in the Keith D. Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art
I’ve been fortunate to personally witness the fulfillment of John Ringling’s vision over the past twenty years. FSU’s strong partnership and stable stewardship have been critical to that success.
Margaret D. Hausberg, Chair of The Ringling Museum of Art Foundation Board of Directors
Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian Art
I left South Carolina for FSU’s Museum & Cultural Heritage master’s program, my top choice. The combination of Tallahassee’s prestigious faculty with a second year at The Ringling is what solidified my career.
Emma Pauline Driggers,
Tour Program Associate
Fellows working in the
HIGHLIGHT
THE MUSEUM & CULTURAL HERITAGE STUDIES PROGRAM
FSU leads the way in training future museum leaders, who choose FSU to take advantage of its wealth of advanced degrees and program options, learn from distinguished faculty, and work and study at one of the nation’s largest college art complexes. The Museum & Cultural Heritage Studies program, started in 2014, is a top choice for students, who gain hands-on museum experience and go on to work at museums around the world.
EDUCATION, PROGRAMMING, AND OUTREACH
Building upon FSU’s mission to preserve, expand, and disseminate knowledge, The Ringling inspires, educates, and entertains museum visitors. The museum’s comprehensive educational and outreach programs have multiplied over the past 25 years. Today, The Ringling partners with over eighty organizations to bring art, history, and architecture to audiences across the region.
The Ringling trains tomorrow’s museum professionals through internships and fellowships. Since 2000, the museum has hosted hundreds of interns, with approximately two-thirds of them from Florida colleges and universities.
Youth educational program in the Rubens Gallery.
PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION
Preservation and conservation at The Ringling require a team of experts working daily to keep the collections, architecture, and grounds at their best. The Johnson-Blalock Education Center not only houses an extensive art library and administrative offices, but also a spacious and well-equipped conservation laboratory. This space embodies FSU’s commitment to safeguarding The Ringling’s collection.
HIGHLIGHT
RESTORATION OF CA’ D’ZAN
If John and Mable Ringling had set foot in Ca’ d’Zan in the mid-1990s, they might not have recognized their home, which had become unfit to welcome guests. Work to return Ca’ d’Zan to its former glory began immediately upon FSU’s stewardship. Like any historic structure, Ca’ d’Zan requires constant care, with teams dedicated to ongoing restoration work. Today, visitors from around the world flock to Ca’ d’Zan to walk through one of America’s architectural treasures.
Art handlers installing Emperor Justinian in the Original 21 Galleries
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Discover how Conservator of Paintings Ivana Jerdonekova breathes new life into paintings at The Ringling.
What does your typical day look like?
Every day is different, ranging from working in the Conservation Lab on one or more projects for the entire day to working in the galleries on installations or deinstallations.
What are your current projects?
I recently finished the conservation treatment of the painting Saint Cecilia (ca. 1640s), which traveled to Naples, Italy, on loan. I worked on that for most of the summer.
Now, I am preparing two smaller paintings by Duncan Grant (British, 1885–1978), which will go on loan in January. I am starting treatment on the seventeenth-century Dutch painting The Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek, by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (Dutch, 1621–1674), a pupil of Rembrandt. Once the treatment of this donation to The Ringling is finalized, it will be displayed in the galleries.
What is your favorite project?
So far, Saint Cecilia, because I spent so much time with her. The treatment primarily consisted of inpainting and overglazing over old restorations that were very disfiguring due to differences in gloss and color relative to the surrounding original paint surface. There was not enough time to remove them from the surface, so I integrated them into the original composition by making them less noticeable.
What excites you most about your work?
The variety of projects that I get to work on, the range of materials, and the varying conditions I encounter. I like starting with something that clearly needs help, seeing it improved visually or structurally, and then presenting it to the public in a condition that is much more reflective of what the piece represents. In conservation, we deal with art, and we often look at it from a scientific point of view. The crossover between those disciplines is fascinating.
THU, MAR 12, 2026
6:30 PM
Raise a glass to one of The Ringling’s most enchanting evenings! This elegant dinner party invites guests to dine under the stars in the Museum of Art Courtyard to celebrate Mable Ringling’s birthday.
The evening features a champagne reception, a multi-course meal with expertly paired fine wines, and live music for a truly unforgettable night.
Sponsorship opportunities are available and offer a meaningful way to support The Ringling’s mission to inspire, educate, and entertain.
Proceeds support The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Together we can ensure the museum continues to thrive for generations to come!
Scan the QR code for tickets and sponsorship details.
QUESTIONS?
Please email wineandroses@ringling.org or call 941.358.2605
PRESENTED BY
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
Your membership support allows The Ringling to continue to inspire, educate, and entertain our guests, and most importantly, our members. We greatly appreciate your commitment to The Ringling, and look forward to continuing to provide you with the aweinspiring experiences you have come to expect from us!
NEW CA' D'ZAN TOUR
For more information or to upgrade your membership: membership@ringling.org or 941.360.7330
We are pleased to announce a new tour, Uncovering Ca’ d’Zan. Though the mansion still shows visible effects from hurricane damage sustained in 2024, this tour offers a rare opportunity to experience Ca’ d’Zan during an ongoing period of care and stewardship. The tour includes the primary rooms on the first floor, and select spaces on the second and third floors, including a visit to the Belvedere Tower, which offers what many consider the best view in Sarasota. It will explore daily life,
architectural detail, and the Ringlings’ lasting legacy in Sarasota.
Members, and guests using a Member for a Day pass, may purchase an Uncovering Ca’ d’Zan ticket for $15. Members at the Reciprocal Level and higher will receive complimentary tours in accordance with their membership benefits.
Space is limited to eight people per tour, so we encourage you to book in advance.
DISCOVER THE BENEFITS OF CIRCLE GIVING
Circle members enjoy behind-the-scenes access to our collections, intimate lunches with artists and curators, and curator-led tours of our latest exhibitions, offering perspectives rarely available to the public.
Circle Member philanthropic support directly enhances exhibitions, programming, and the care and growth of The Ringling’s collections, venues, and Bayfront Gardens. All levels are fully tax-deductible, and gifts may be made through personal contributions, Donor-Advised Funds, IRAs, or family foundations.
UPCOMING CIRCLE EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
• Ancient Art from Cyprus and the Mediterranean Permanent Gallery Opening Celebration + Seated Dinner
• Charles and Robyn Citrin Gallery Naming Celebration + In the Flesh: The Nude in Modern Japan Exhibition Preview + Cocktail Reception
• Chairman-Level Collectors' Evening, where curators and collectors share insights into the world of collecting
To learn more or become a Circle Member, visit ringling.org/circle-giving or contact Alexandra O’Bryan, Circle Development Manager, at alexandra.obryan@ringling.org or 941.358.2605.
Chicago, Illinois
Houston, Texas for the exhibition
Meiji Modern: 50 Years of New Japan
Kabuki performance of "Chiarini's Celebrated Circus" by Utagawa Kunimasa IV
Jacksonville, Florida for the exhibition
The Armory South Acrobats by Henry
Ernest Schnakenberg
THE RINGLING AROUND
THE WORLD
Recent travels of The Ringling Collection.
New York, New York for the exhibition Juan de Pareja, Afro-Hispanic Painter Flight into Egypt by Juan de Pareja
Naples, Italy for the exhibition Women in Spanish Naples: Another Seventeenth Century Saint Cecilia by an unidentified Neapolitan painter
Milan, Italy for the exhibition Moroni (1521–1580). A Portrait of His Time Mario Benvenuti by Giovanni
Battista Moroni
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Utagawa Kunimasa IV (Japanese, 1848–1920), Kabuki performance of “Chiarini’s Celebrated Circus,” November 1886. Triptych of woodblock prints (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper. 14 3/16 × 28 1/2 in. Museum purchase, 2020. 2020.14; Juan de Pareja (c. 1608–c.1670), Flight into Egypt, 1658. Oil on canvas, 66 1/2 x 49 3/8 in. Bequest of John Ringling, 1936. SN339; Unidentified Neapolitan Painter (Italian, 17th century), Saint Cecilia, c. 1640s. Oil on canvas. Bequest of John Ringling, 1936. SN134; Giovanni Battista Moroni (Italian, 1525–1579), Mario Benvenuti, c. 1560. Oil on canvas, 45 1/2 x 35 1/2 in. Bequest of John Ringling, 1936. SN106; Henry Ernest Schnakenberg (American, 1892–1970), Acrobats, 1939. Oil on canvas, 75 5/16 × 30 3/16 × 1 in. Gift of Carole M. Pesner, in memory of the Artist, 2003. SN11115
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TRUNK SHOW SEASON
at the Museum Store!
Save the dates for these trunk shows, where you will find unique jewelry and other creations made by local artists!
