The Ringling Receives Grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County

January 5, 2021 – Sarasota

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is pleased to announce that they are the recipient of a Strategic Partnership Grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. The grant, valued at $45,000 with funding provided by the Zella I. and Junius F. Allen Fund and an unrestricted fund at the Community Foundation, will help support the Art of Performance Program, The Community Gallery and exhibitions.

“We are grateful for the generous support that the Community Foundation continues to provide for the museum,” said Steven High, Executive Director. “Through our partnership with the Community Foundation, we are able to touch many lives in the community and bring opportunities to engage with art and performance to people who may not have otherwise been afforded this experience. The continued support of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a lifeline for organizations that have been impacted by the Covid epidemic and we are thankful for their support.”

The grant will be utilized to support the Art of Performance (AOP) program, including valuable funding for community outreach initiatives and expanded opportunities for artists through residencies and commissions. The Ringling’s AOP program seeks to provide diverse and culturally significant programming, community dialogues and arts education opportunities with Florida, national and international artists’ developmental residencies. Artists in Residence for this year include John Sims (Sarasota), Liony Garcia (Miami), Joseph Keckler (New York) Randy Valdes (Miami).

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County was the founding partner of The Ringling’s Community Gallery. Through their continued support, the gallery will host exhibitions over the next year. The Community gallery provides an opportunity for community-based groups to display their artworks. Previous exhibitions have included works by the Sarasota County Medical Association and families that created art together at home using activities in The Ringling’s education program “Learn from Home.” 

Support for The Ringling’s upcoming exhibition of the work of the great American abstract painter Sam Gilliam is also included in the grant. Known for his experimentation with materials and constant invention, Gilliam first received critical attention in the 1960s as a later member of the Washington Color School. He quickly expanded beyond the Color School tradition with his experimentation in the use of color and materials. This exhibition brings together nearly 20 unique works and limited edition prints by the artist from the early 1970s to 2010 drawn primarily from local collections. will be featured in an exhibition running from Feb. 21, 2021 – Aug. 15, 2021.