Ringling College of Art and Design - History

History

The concept of founding this art school originated from Dr. Ludd M. Spivey, then president of Southern College, which was founded in 1856 and now is called Florida Southern College in Lakeland. Spivey sought financial support for this concept from the Sarasota circus magnate, John Ringling. At that time, Spivey learned that Ringling was not interested in giving to Southern College and he was more interested in establishing his own art school at the museum founded with his first wife, Mable. The museum was constructed on their estate in the form of an Italian villa to house a vast collection of seventeenth century sculpture and paintings collected on their travels and at auctions. Most importantly, Ringling nearly was bankrupt. If Ringling could have, he would have opened his own art school that was drawn on his original plans for the museum, but not built because of a lack of funds.

Ringling's first wife died in June 1929, a few months before the crash of the stock market. Ringling's health began to fail as well. A year later, in 1930, he married Emily Haag Buck in Jersey City, New Jersey, a wealthy woman who turned out to have little interest in Florida. This marriage ended in divorce shortly before the death of John Ringling in 1936. He died just before losing his museum and residence to bankruptcy. His will left his residential property, including his home and the museum, to the state, otherwise they would have been sold for debts along with his other holdings. In retrospect, failure to involve Ringling in founding the school became a stroke of luck for its survival: if Ringling had founded the art school as requested, it would have been subjected to the same fate. After a ten-year struggle, his nephew was able to keep that deteriorating estate parcel intact and retained by the state.

Repeatedly Spivey's plan to found an art school was discussed and, after much negotiation, it was agreed that Southern College would open its own art school in Sarasota as a branch. With much reluctance, Ringling agreed that it could be known as the School of Fine and Applied Art of the John and Mable Ringling Art Museum, lending his name and that of his former wife to the school, to associate the Florida Southern art school with the more famous name of the Ringlings and their museum.

In a portion of the Sarasota area that once had been the incorporated community of Bay Haven, the former Bay Haven Hotel, and several adjacent store buildings close to its downtown and railway station became the location for the new art school. The buildings were renovated at the cost of $45,000. John Ringling was approached again and agreed to raise the money necessary to underwrite those renovation needs. The work was completed and on October 2, 1931, the School of Fine and Applied Art of the John and Mable Ringling Art Museum was opened with an official ceremony by Southern College. John Ringling was invited to speak at its opening.

"If any educational institution is to progress, it must be administered intelligently... I know of no other school in America equipped as this one to educate in art…Here I hope a famous school of artists will rise, for though life is short, art is long."

— John Ringling, October 2, 1931.

Shortly thereafter John Ringling became more severely affected by losses on the stock market and plummeted more rapidly toward bankruptcy; he was removed from management of the family circus by its board of directors.

Within two years, on May 14, 1933, under the name of Ringling School of Art, a charter was obtained and the school became an independent, nonprofit institution, separating from Florida Southern College. Seventy-five students enrolled in the new school, which purported to “do more than develop artistic talent and to provide intellectual training: its purpose will include the fullest development of personality…in order to assist each student to a happy adjustment to the circumstances of the world in which he finds himself.” In the same year, the art school became a member of the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities and has remained an active member of that organization ever since.

"When we opened in the Fall of 1933, we had one student in the dormitory, and thirteen day students. That was after a day and a half of registration."

— Verman Kimbrough

In May 1935, written permission was received from John Ringling to build a new school on his property near the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Due to a lack of resources, however, a school never was built on the grounds. Ringling died in 1936 and the opportunity to use his property was never realized.

The school also was known as John and Mable Ringling Junior College and School of Art during these early years, functioning both as a junior college and as an art school.

The building chosen as the site of the new school was originally the two-star Bay Haven Hotel, which was new at the time. It was bought and now is known as Keating Center, which is used to house the administrative services and also serves as dormitory and classroom space.

The first class had only seventy-five students and thirteen faculty members. Each student paid $783 per year for tuition, board, room, fees, and books. Each student also attended chapel services everyday and written permission had to be received by the school's president or dean if a student wanted to leave the town.

A notable faculty member was Laura Ganno-McNeill, Ph.D., the first woman in the United States to be awarded a doctorate degree.

Late in 1933 the school became a member of the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities.