Ringling College Receives $500,000 Gift from the Daniel E. Offutt, III Charitable Trust to Support Premier Makerspace and Student Scholarships

May 26, 2021 – Sarasota

Ringling College of Art and Design today announced that the Daniel E. Offutt, III Charitable Trust has made a $500,000 gift in support of the Richard and Barbara Basch Visual Arts Center including the Wood Shop, which will be named the Daniel E. Offutt III Wood Shop. It also establishes the Daniel E. Offutt III Endowed Scholarship which will furnish an annual scholarship of at least $7,500 beginning in Fall 2022, and will provide an additional one-time scholarship for a student this fall, who will be the College’s first Offutt Scholar.

“Daniel was both a Renaissance man and my best friend,” said Richard (Dick) Orenstein, trustee for the Daniel E. Offutt, III Charitable Trust. “His success as an investor came from his uncanny ability to see trends and opportunities visually – as represented in graphs and charts, in addition to earnings reports. This same sensory awareness drove his passion as an artisan. He worked with wood and found materials to create whimsical sculptures and functional art. Dan had a saying – ‘One screwdriver is good, two is better, and 15 is better still.’ I believe he would have taken great pleasure in supporting the education of future artists through scholarships at Ringling College, and access to this top-notch makerspace that will be named in his honor.” 

“We are grateful that Ringling College and our students are now part of Daniel Offutt’s legacy as an artist and philanthropist. As we continue on our path of becoming the world’s pre-eminent art and design college, this generous gift helps ensure that the most talented young artists from around the globe have resources and facilities to develop into the creative leaders of the future,” said Ringling College President Larry R. Thompson. “We are inspired that Dick Orenstein has chosen to celebrate his friend’s memory by investing in Ringling College and our students for generations to come. Directed philanthropy like this makes one very optimistic for the future, so with Dick’s permission I’ll borrow another of Dan’s quotes – ‘I’ve never met a successful pessimist.’ ” 

The Daniel E. Offutt III Wood Shop is in The Makerspace in the Richard and Barbara Basch Visual Arts Center at Ringling College of Art and Design. The Makerspace is a collection of cross-disciplinary, educational studios where students can work cooperatively with faculty, staff, and other artists to learn manufacturing processes, realize projects, and develop responsible working practices. The Makerspace studios provide a safe and friendly learning environment, as well as an opportunity to work with manufacturing equipment and machinery in a variety of fields.  

For more information, please visit www.ringling.edu.