The Ringling

For my museum visit I had the pleasure of visiting one very close to home, The Ringling. Within the complex, there is more than one attraction. There is the John and Mable Museum of Art, the Circus Museum, and the Ca d'Za. The Ringling is located in Sarasota, Florida and was constructed at the request of John Ringling. Building of the Ringling began in 1925 with the help of architect John. H Phillips. The theme the Ringling was built around can be classified as Renaissance, although many other periods can be seen within the museum as well. The architecture of the museum imitates the Baroque style and contains Corinthian columns which is one of three types originating from Greece (AOC). The museum of art presents its works in a chronological

These art pieces were captured using black and white photography. The artist whose works were on display is Builder Levy. Although color photography was available at the time of his photographs (Late 20th, early 21st century), he decided to neglect using color since he wanted to show the universality among the human race, and not wanting people to discriminate based on the color of one's skin. Most of his photographs were of working men and women in coal mines. The purpose of his art was to document to life and labor of coalfields and rural mountain mining communities of Southeastern United States. His art challenges prejudices and reveal a diverse demographic of people with varying cultures and a tradition of social engagement (Builder

The Circus museum is more playful in a sense since nothing inside was necessarily constructed by an artist to represent or contain a deeper meaning than implied on the surface. Most of the items within the museum were props and personal items used by the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The idea to create this particular museum was not at the discretion of John Ringling, rather director of The Ringling's, A. Everett Austin Jr. The purpose of the Circus Museum is to celebrate the prosperous history of the American Circus industry. The most extraordinary sight within the Circus Museum was the train carriages that John and wife, Mable traveled across the country in. The furniture within each room was crafted from fine wood with great finesse. There were three bedrooms and each one contained a bed, a table, a toilet and sink. An extension of the Circus Museum was later added, The Tibbals Learning Center, which is more of an interactive exhibit and meant for a younger audience, although I did indeed enjoy myself very much. There were posters of the various acts performed during the circus, and a good majority of them question human morals since their descriptions can be found very offensive to the many ethnic groups involved. The descriptions were demeaning in nature hence the whole 'freaks of nature' labeling when many of their