The John And Mable Ringling Museum

John Ringling the youngest of 5 brothers made his fortune in the circus that bares his famous last name. He spent the fortune on art, the home he built for his wife Mable, which over looks Sarasota Bay, and a museum to house all the art he collected until his death. When he died in 1936, he left the 32 acre estate to the state of Florida

I used to wonder why so many Floridians I have met have never made the trip to Sarasota to see the Museum. After purchasing a small book titled A Museum Once Forgotten: Rebirth of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, I found the grounds were rarely open to the public before 2000.
The mansion was falling apart and partly covered in vines, and the museum’s roof leaked, putting the art a risk. Florida State University took over stewardship of the property, and with millions of money from the state, it has been restored the 66 acres estate.

Mayra and I hit the rose garden first. The local garden club was pruning them. I had told Mayra what a beautiful place it is, and she wanted to see it before the flowers were all gone. The woman a the desk when we purchased out tickets told us the flowers would be gone by afternoon. That garden club didn’t waste any time removing them early in the morning.

A few years ago, Linda and I had visited the estate, and one of the docents said Mable Ringling could only keep them alive for a few years, and then they would have to be replaced. I figured she over pampered them, or roses weren’t as hardy as they are today. My rose bush doesn’t know pesticides, fertilizers, or regular watering, and the thing refuses to die.

We then made our way to my favorite building, the Tibbal Learning Center. The building houses museum posters, costumes, and the Howard Brothers Circus. Howard Tibbal started building a model circus in his Knoxville home over 50 years ago. Today the model is approximately 3800 square feet. (I created a slide show for you to see more detail. But it wouldn't upload correctly. Back to the drawing board.)
I did like the detail he put into his model circus. He even shows the restrooms and the fact you have to tell me which way to stand, when they pee.

The building next to the Tibbal’s Learning Center is the Circus Museum. It used to be the Ringling’s garage. It now houses circus wagons, and a truck that used to be used to shoot a human out of a canon. (They may have the canon, but they don't have the secret as to how it works) The docent giving the tour a couple years ago, almost put Linda and I to sleep. Not this time. I didn’t want Dorothy’s tour to end. The little woman was so full of life, and really showed that she enjoyed talking about the museum. I wish we could have had her give us a tour of the entire estate. Some are original, and some are reproductions.

I believe she said this one was made by the craftsman who work at the museum.

Ca d’Zan what a home!! Mayra and I tried to bide our time until the next tour. You can’t see the second floor without going on the tour. After 30 minutes or more of wandering around the first floor and the grounds, we decided to head for the museum. We told ourselves we would come back for the last tour of the day. Two trips to Sarasota, and I have yet to see the second floor. We were just too tired.

The art museum is now one of the top 20 museums in North America. On the day we visited the courtyard was alive with musicians and clowns. The place makes me wish I lived in Sarasota. I would become a member. I took no pictures inside the museum. It’s all so breathtaking. It would be easy to spend the entire day inside the art museum itself. The exhibits aren’t just limited to Mr. Ringling’s collection . The Grandma Moses exhibitions will be running until April 13th, and the Jacob Lawrence exhibition can be seen until May 4th.
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