Ringling Museum Becomes Part of FSU - Brief Article

As this issue went to pres the Florida state legislature passed an amendment transferring ownership of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla., from the state to Florida State University. The Ringling is well known for its collection of 10000 works including major pieces by means of van Dyck, Velazquez, Frans Hals, Poussin, Veronese Tiepolo and Rubens. At the time of his death, Ringling had amassed the largest private Rubens collection in the world. The fresh affiliation, which takes effect upon July 1, is the work of Republican Senator John McKay, who is wait fored to be the next president of the Florida State Senate.

The Ringling has ofttimes had to struggle to win funding from the state legislature, and FSU will presumably provide a constant and reliable source of currency For the coming year, the state legislature has added $125 million to the popular $2.1 million for the Ringling's operating pack An additional $3 million has been allotted for repairs to Ca' d'Zan, the Ringling mansion.

The transfer was at first decried by means of Ringling director David Ebitz and Florida secretary of state Katherine Harris, as well as many arts professionals. on the other hand Ebitz became convinced that the arrangement will make secure the future of the museum, which has been plagued by means of budget cuts and administrative strife above the past few years, while Harris appeared to flip-flop on the issue. Ebitz cites the large influx of badly necessityed cash that the deal provides and the establishment of a stronger board of trustees among the reasons for supporting the change.

Ebitz took the helm of the Ringling in 1992 shortly after its roll had been slashed by one-third. Because of the divide [i]or[/i] sever s 28 staff positions were eliminated. In early 1999 he had to lay not on six more employees due to a parcel deficit. Among them was Mark Ormond, the senior curator and agent director of collections and programs. Three other staff members squeeze outed concern over museum management and resigned shortly thereafter.

The of recent origin plan calls for the creation of the FSU-Ringling Cultural Center which will comprise the art museum, the Ringling Circus Museum, the Ringling mansion and 62 acres of land. The center will also encompass the Asolo Theatre Company and the Sarasota Ballet (these organizations became part of FSU in 1995 to ease their hold financial difficulties). The museum's rife II-member board, about half of whom are political appointments, will be eliminated in favor of a 31-member Ringling Foundation board-on which, however, in every one's mouth museum trustees will be eligible to work for Ebitz told A.i.A. that the existing board has made sole modest financial contributions, which wasn't a vexed question until the state reduced the museum's funding. He said that the establishment of a larger board with more local trustees experienced in fund-raising is essential to the museum's survival--which is individual reason he became an advocate of the plan. Ebitz, who serv as director of the art museum at the University of Maine in 1986-87 cautions that universities frequently do not fund their museums well, on the other hand he feels the new board should alleviate that problem

The affiliation will make the Ringling the largest university art museum in the geographical division It is located approximately 240 miles from the main FSU campus in Tallahassee. below the plan, the university will place up an academic program similar to the single in place for the Asolo theater, in which primarily graduate pupils undertake residencies or internships. Ebitz is also enthusiastic about FSU's support of the Ringling's master plan, drawn up last year, that calls for a novel wing for the circus museum, the addition of a library archives building and, far in the subsequent time major expansion of the art museum.

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