The courtyard at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
Add the stunning Ringling Estate to your travel plans. This treat for the senses includes the winter residence of John and Mable Ringling, the Cà d'Zan (House of John), two Circus Museums including the Tibbals Learning Center, a Museum of Art featuring European, American and Non-western works with an impressive array of Old Masters paintings, the Historic Asolo Theater with performances daily and 66 acres of historic grounds and gardens all on beautiful Sarasota Bay. Visitors can stroll the magnificently restored rooms of Cà d'Zan, the palatial home of a Circus King. The dream home has a renewed spirit reflecting the Roaring Twenties and Mable Ringling herself.
Circus enthusiasts and children of all ages will rejoice in the Tibbals Learning Center. The whimsical building doubles the size of the Museum's exhibition of circus wonder with videos, interactive displays and the Howard Brothers Circus Model. The model, built by one man over 50 years, will blow you away. While a miniature by definition, it is gigantic in proportion at 3,800 square feet. In exact detail, it features eight tents including the menagerie and Big Top, 152 wagons, 1,300 circus performers and workers, more than 800 animals and a 59-car train.
You'll learn how the circus found its footing in America through a comprehensive exhibit of the history from the Greeks and Romans all the way through today with Cirque Du Soleil and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
A recently added wing features an 11,000 square foot Interactive Circus Space, which allows visitors to experience the inner workings of the American circus and circus performances. A theater, family area and educational space all enhance the learning experience.
The wing is now home to the Tibbals Center for the Study of the American Circus, a state-of-the-art educational area for scholarly research. It also houses nearly 6,000 historical circus posters. The latest additions make the Circus Museum an archival landmark.
Inside the Circus Museum next door, you will find restored wagons, sparkling costumes and a human canon all documenting the history of the Circus and its impact on our culture. The Historic Asolo Theater offers a diverse roster of performances and programs including Dance, Film, Guest Speakers, Music and Theater. The beauty and intimacy of the theater is said to be worth the price of a ticket simply to be seated. Tempt your taste buds by dining at the museum's very own fine dining restaurant, Treviso, either before or after the show. The Museum of Art, built by John Ringling to house his personal collection of masterpieces, today features paintings and sculptures by the great Old Masters including Rubens, van Dyck, Velázquez, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, El Greco, Gainsborough and more.
From now through the end of March, visitors can also experience Ringling’s own skyspace, an exhibit by the famous artist James Turrell. The exhibit uses LED and synchronized lights to fill the sky above the Ringling courtyard with unusual colors. Visitors can experience the sunset in a whole new way. There is only one other such exhibit on the East Coast, located at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Ringling’s is the largest ever completed to date.
You can experience it all for just $5 (it’s free for members) every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Capacity is limited to 56 people per night, so advanced reservations are highly recommended. Call (941) 358-3180 or arrive 30 minutes prior to sunset. The program runs for one hour. Admission to the Ringling Museum of Art is $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $10 for students 18 and over and children ages 6-17 and members of the military. Admission is free for members and children younger than 6. Call 941-359-5700 or visit www.ringling.org for more information.
