John & Mable Ringling Museum Of Art Foundation

Programs: The 2016-17 fiscal year featured 14 exhibitions in the searing wing, the tibbals learning center, and monda gallery of contemporary art. Of these, three were large exhibitions featured in the searing exhibition galleries and nine were smaller scale exhibitions drawn primarily from our permanent collections of works on paper, photography, and circus posters and two were shown in the monda gallery. Exhibitions of special note were:a feast for the senses: art and experience in medieval europe -organized by the walters art museum, baltimore, in partnership with the ringling. This major exhibition featured more than 80 objects, many on loan from prestigious institutions across the us and europe, including the metropolitan museum of art, the victoria and albert museum and the louvre. The exhibition focused on the late medieval and early renaissance period in europe (roughly 1300-1500), a time in which societal changes prompted a new interest in human experience, the enjoyment of nature and the pursuit of pleasure. As a result, the art of this period functioned in a rich sensory world that was integral to its appreciation. These works were not only seen, but also touched, smelled and heard. The exhibition brought together sacred and secular art, including paintings, tapestries, metalwork, and manuscripts, to reveal the role of the senses in courtly ritual and religious practice. Pathless woods -in november 2016, the new keith d. And linda l. Monda gallery of contemporary art opened with the site-specific installation by american artist anne patterson. Pathless woods is an interactive, multi-media installation in which the visitor is invited to walk through a forest of ribbons. Sometimes the path is very clear and at other times it is not. The title is taken from a line of byron's poetry, "there is a pleasure in the pathless woods and references that the visitor can find his or her own path through the installation with each choice determining outcome. Pathless woods continues patterson's exploration into creating synesthetic environments beginning with the 2013 project graced with light, installed to great acclaim at grace cathedral, san francisco. Soviet scenes: baltermants' photographs of wwii and photojournalism from the august coup - this exhibition presented photojournalism from two key historic moments of the former soviet union, wwii and the august coup of 1991 that ended the communist regime. It features photos from the ringling's permanent collection. Soviet scenes showcased world war ii through the lens of acclaimed photographer dmitri baltermants, whose work functioned as state-endorsed war propaganda but also presented the emotional toll of war in terms that continue to resonate. In contrast, the august coup was shown through a range of press images, featuring photographs by shepard sherbell, among others, that witnessed the dissolution of the empire and documented life in countries that were formerly part of the soviet union. This exhibition showcased various styles of photojournalism and documentary as distinctive content from each time period underscored both the climax and collapse of the soviet era.

maintaining, interpreting, and conserving the permanent collection of over 20,000 objects, an archives collection and an art research library of 85,000 holdings that serves the general public. The museum had over $420,000 visitors and over 9,000 members.

learning opportunities are offered to the general public, educators, and students from elementary to university level. Programs include lectures on the arts and history of the circus, family exploration activities in the galleries, lesson plans for educators about the ringling collections, university-level seminars on a spectrum of cultural topics, and university intern programs in which students obtain an overview of the business of museums. In addition, the ringling hosts school group tours from across the state of florida. The ringling's historic asolo theater presents a diversity of cultural experiences produced in partnership with other non-profit organizations.