The Ringling Welcomes Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner for Virtual Artist’s Talk

The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art is pleased to welcome 2020
Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner, Jennifer Packer, for a virtual artist’s talk July 24, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. Packer, a painter whose work focusses on expressionist portraits, interior scenes and still lifes, will participate in a discussion with Ola Wlusek, The Ringling’s Keith D. and Linda L. Monda Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. Andy Sandberg, Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO, will moderate the program.

Each year in April, the Hermitage Artist Retreat awards the Hermitage Greenfield Prize in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation. Alongside the presentation of the award, the Hermitage and our community celebrate the premiere of the prize commission from two years prior, alongside programs and panels that share these artists’ journeys, processes, and bodies of work with Sarasota audiences. The prestigious prize rotates annually in the fields of theater, music and visual art.

As the winner of this year’s Hermitage Greenfield Prize, Packer receives a six-week residency at the Hermitage Artist Retreat and a $30,000 commission from the Hermitage to create a bold and impactful new work of art. Packer’s commission will premiere in Sarasota in 2022 with the Hermitage’s presenting partner, The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Tickets for the virtual event are free but must be reserved in advance at ringling.org/virtual/hermitage.

About The Ringling

The Ringling is a center for art and history, situated on 66 magnificent acres on the shores of Sarasota Bay. It is built on the remarkable legacy of circus entrepreneur, collector of art and financier John Ringling and his wife Mable. The Ringling inspires visitors with an acclaimed collection of Old Master paintings, delight them with the story of the American circus as told through the first American circus museum as well as the world’s largest circus model, and transports them to the Roaring Twenties during a tour of the magnificent Ca’ d’Zan mansion. The Ringling is also committed to exhibiting the work of an emerging community of living artists whose work moves beyond traditional practice and features dynamic and engaging contemporary visual and performing arts, including a diverse roster of theater, music, dance and film.

About the Hermitage Artist Retreat

The Hermitage is a nonprofit artist retreat located in Manasota Key, Florida, inviting accomplished artists across multiple disciplines for residencies on its beachfront campus, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Hermitage artists are invited to interact with the local community, reaching thousands of Gulf Coast residents and visitors each year with unique and inspiring programs. Hermitage Fellows have included nine Pulitzer Prize
winners, along with multiple Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and MacArthur Fellowship award winners. Works created at this beachside retreat by a diverse group of Hermitage alumni have gone on to renowned theatres, concert halls, and galleries throughout the world. Each year, the Hermitage awards the $30,000 Hermitage Greenfield Prize for a new work of art, and the Aspen Music Festival awards the annual Hermitage Prize in Composition. For more information about The Hermitage Artist Retreat, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.