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ARTS + CULTURE RINGLING REUNION
YOUROBSERVER.COM
THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2015
The Ringling College of Art and Design hosted its annual class reunion Saturday. More than 300 alumni, family and friends descended on the campus to reminisce and celebrate. We asked alumni what their favorite classes were during their time at the art school.
RICH AND AMY KEEL Class of 1994, fine arts “My favorite class was figure drawing with Bill Mitchell because he was just my idol,” says Amy Keel. “I love him and he was an awesome teacher. When I came here, we were a sleepy little school, but now with the expansion it’s pretty amazing,”
Photo by Nick Reichert
Stephen Fancher has settled into a harmonious life in Sarasota as a financial adviser by day and a lounge pianist by night at Sarasota’s local restaurants.
playing by S
NICK REICHERT
GREG AND KRISTEN MCGUIGAN Class of 2005, photography “My favorite class was bookmaking because it was totally different from photography,” says Kristen McGuigan. “(It was) neat and completely hands on.”
MICHAEL GOLDSHOLL AND CATHY GALE MIRGE Class of 1983, fine arts and graphic design, respectively “The first year painting under Mr. Larson was my favorite class. He was wonderful with his students. He would create such close relationships, and I came out of the class a different man,” says Goldsholl.
EAR Whether it’s in music or life, Stephen Fancher believes in taking opportunities as they come. To be successful, sometimes you just need to improvise.
A+E EDITOR
tephen Fancher sits posed at the piano near the bar at Michael’s On East, ready to take his musical cues from the crowd. He asks a diner for his favorite song by The Beatles. He plays a few bars of the patron’s favorite — “Let It Be” — before he asks someone else for his favorite classical composer. “Beethoven,” he says. Without hesitation, Fancher fluidly combines the melody of The Beatles with the unmistakable chord progression of the Austrian composer. But Fancher is used to shifting between two worlds. By day, he bangs away at his computer keyboard as a financial adviser at Mariash, Lowther and Associates of Merrill Lynch. By night and on the weekends, he strokes the keys of a piano. PAGE 2