Ringling College of Art and Design

Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD; stylized as Ringling College of Art + Design) is a private art and design school in Sarasota, Florida.[5] It was founded by Ludd M. Spivey as an art school in 1931 as a remote branch of Southern College but separated by 1933.

Ringling College of Art and Design
Other name
RCAD
Former names
The School of Fine and Applied Art of the John and Mable Ringling Art Museum,[1] Ringling School of Art and Design (RSAD)
TypePrivate art school
EstablishedMarch 31, 1931 (1931-03-31)
FounderLudd M. Spivey
AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
Academic affiliation
National Association of Schools of Art and Design
Endowment$49.5 million (2020)[2]
PresidentLarry R. Thompson[3]
Academic staff
182
Students1,663[4]
Location
Sarasota
,
Florida
,
United States

27°21′38″N 82°32′53″W
CampusUrban
48 acres (19 ha)
MascotArmadillo
Websitewww.ringling.edu
Logo of Ringling College of Art and Design
Ringling College of Art and Design is located in Florida
Ringling College of Art and Design
Location of RCAD
Ringling College of Art and Design is located in the United States
Ringling College of Art and Design
Ringling College of Art and Design (the United States)

History

The origins of the college go back to when the President of Southern College (now called Florida Southern College), Ludd M. Spivey, wanted to get the support of John Ringling for his institution. Spivey learned that Ringling did not have an interest in helping Southern College, was almost broke and[6] wanted to start his own art school on the grounds of his museum.[7] The two discussed the idea of creating a new and independent art school before reaching the agreement that they would open a school in Sarasota as a branch of Florida Southern College.[6]

The School of Fine and Applied Art of the John and Mable Ringling Art Museum was founded on March 31, 1931.[6] It opened on October 2 with 75 registered students.[8][6] The school, although an extension of Florida Southern, initially functioned as a junior college with business and arts classes. The college would end up breaking off from Southern College in 1933 after Ringling faculty discovered and disliked that money made from the school went to pay salaries at the college's Lakeland campus. Another theory holds that conservative Methodist trustees from Florida Southern were outraged that Ringling students were drawing naked models, so they sought to end the relationship. In any case, the school ended up successfully petitioning for and officially became independent on May 14, 1933 when they received their charter.[9] Under this new charter, the institution became known as the Ringling School of Art.[8] In 1934, the junior college and music courses were eliminated and the decision was made to concentrate solely on art.[9] After World War II, enrollment grew at the school, growing from 250 in 1949 to 450 by 1959, mostly because of the G.I. Bill.[6]

The institution qualified for full accreditation as a degree-granting institution by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1979. That year the college became known as the Ringling School of Art and Design.[6] In 1984, the school became accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art.[10]

The campus has in the past also included the Longboat Key Center for the Arts, which operated from 1952 to 2017.[11][12]

Most recently, the Sarasota Art Museum, housed in a newly-renovated 1926 Sarasota High School, opened in 2019 as a division of Ringling College of Art and Design, and comprises a separate "Museum Campus" further south than main campus.

Academics

The college currently offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees. It operates on a semester academic term system.[5]

Library

The Alfred R. Goldstein Library is an informational, educational, and social hub for RCAD's students and faculty.[13] Designed specifically for its creative students, the library's collection includes children's literature, game arts, graphic novels, letterpress, book arts, pop up books, special collections, reference, and online resources.[14] The 46,000-square-foot library houses over 75,000 books and periodicals.[15]

The Ringling College Library Association (RCLA) is a nonprofit organization that was created by a small group of community leaders in 1975 in an attempt to aid Ringing College in constructing its first library. The RCLA operates with an annual overhead of 10% and has “made gifts and commitments to the college in excess of $11 million dollars”.[16] With nearly 2,000 members, the RCLA continues to support the Alfred R. Goldstein Library and the RCAD community by providing scholarships to students, programming special events (including the RCLA Town Hall Lecture Series), and encouraging creativity and community togetherness.

The library hosts an independent art publishing book fair called Paper Jam. Organized jointly with Letterpress and Book Arts Center and the Brizdle-Schoenberg Special Collections Center and in collaboration with SRQ Zine Fest, the annual event features a wide array of creative books and experimental printed items that highlight local and diverse perspectives.[17]

The library originated as a first floor location on the east side of campus. Its new modern facility, completed in January 2017, is centrally located, physically representing the mission of the library as the heart of its college. The $20 million dollar library, designed by Shepley Bulfinch and Sweet Sparkman Architects, is significantly larger than its predecessor. It features furnishings selected by RCAD students, bright colors, a 24-hour lab, a café, ten group study areas, and 4 terraces overlooking Whitaker Bayou. American Libraries, a publication of the American Library Association, featured the Alfred R. Goldstein Library in its yearly Library Design Showcase later in 2017.[18][19][20]

Alfred Goldstein, the library's namesake, was a local benefactor. Along with his wife Ann, he contributed to many Sarasota organizations and funded the Ann Goldstein Children's Rainforest Garden at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.[21] The library naming ceremony took place on February 15, 2016.[22]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "About us". Ringling College of Art and Design. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  2. As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  3. "Leadership & Administration". Ringling College of Art and Design. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  4. "At A Glance 2018-19" (PDF). Ringling College of Art and Design. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  5. "Overview of Ringling College of Art and Design". US News.
  6. Perkins, Robert E. The first fifty years : Ringling School of Art and Design, Sarasota, Florida, 1931-1981. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  7. Meter, Amanda Ellen (2009). John Ringling: Story of a Capitalist. Florida State University. Retrieved October 28, 2022 – via DigiNole.
  8. Shank, Ann. "Ringling School of Art Started with 75 Students". Sarasota History Alive!. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  9. Bauer, Ruthmary (1997). "Sarasota: Hardship and Tourism in the 1930s" (PDF). Florida Historical Quarterly. Florida Historical Society. 76 (3): 8. Retrieved October 27, 2022 – via STARS (Showcase of Text, Archives, Research & Scholarship) from the University of Central Florida Libraries.
  10. "RINGLING COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN". National Association of Schools of Art & Design. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  11. "A Fond Farewell to Longboat Key Center for the Arts". Sarasota Magazine. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  12. Becnel, Thomas (April 29, 2020). "Ringling College reconsiders Longboat Key Art Center project". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  13. "Alfred R. Goldstein Library". Ringling College of Art + Design. Ringling College of Art and Design. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  14. "Library Catalog". Ringling College of Art + Design. Ringling College of Art and Design, Alfred R. Goldstein Library. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  15. "Alfred R. Goldstein Library". The Sarasota Observer. March 9, 2017.
  16. Ringling College Library Association. "History". Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  17. "Paper Jam". Paper Jam. Ringling College of Art and Design. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  18. "Alfred R. Goldstein College Library at the Ringling College of Art and Design". University Business. 5: 15. 2018.
  19. Pirman, J. (2017). "Alfred R. Goldstein Library, Ringling College". Sarasota Magazine. 9: 180.
  20. Morehart, P. (2017). "2017 Library Design Showcase". American Libraries. 48 (9/10): 26–33.
  21. Brugmann, Anna (June 29, 2017). "Alfred R. Goldstein: A legacy etched in stone". The Longboat Observer: 4.
  22. "Topping-Out and Naming Ceremony Heralds The Ringling College Alfred R. Goldstein Library and Appointment of Kristina Keogh as Director of Library Services; New Ringling College of Art and Design campus library slated to open fall 2016". GlobeNewswire. February 12, 2016.
  23. "Arts and Artists: Andrew Jones". www.imersa.org. Retrieved 2020-01-30. He attended the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota FL, where he trained in traditional academic drawing/painting and animation.
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