With the purchase of any stage production or film RIAF ticket holders can experience the Ringling Museum of Art and exhibitions like ?Deco Japan: Shaping Art & Culture 1920-1945?
Photo credit: Artist unknown. Songbook for ?Song of the Milky Way? (Ginga no uta) from the Shockiku film. Courtesy of the Levenson Collection
By Jessi Smith
Like the three-ring circus upon which John Ringling built his empire, the Ringling International Arts Festival is a multi-faceted extravaganza that packs a ton of attractions into its whirlwind schedule.
Over the course of four days, from October 10-13, RIAF 2012 will feature music, dance and theatre performances and film screenings by internationally-renowned artists. RIAF has never been much for subtlety, and with all the glitz and the glam, it may be easy to overlook the rest of the attractions taking place simultaneously at the Ringling Museum of Art ? but to do so would be a missed opportunity.
In addition to the permanent collection and the James Turrell Skyspace, no less than four special exhibitions are currently on display in the Ringling galleries and will be throughout the duration of the festival. The museum?s most highly-lauded current special exhibition, Deco Japan: Shaping Art and Culture, 1920 ? 1945, wraps up its 15-week run at Ringling on October 28, making RIAF the perfect time to pay a visit.
Deco Japan provides an intimate glimpse into a moment in world history when western culture collided with that of the east, spawning the synthesis of Japan?s tradition-steeped, elegant style of fine art with the cosmopolitan sex appeal and commercialism that characterized Roaring Twenties in nations across the world.
The exhibition consists of paintings, woodblock and graphic design prints, textiles, sculptures, jewelry, ceramics and furniture that range from fine art to commercial advertisements and political propaganda. Together, these 200 works from the Levenson collection, which have never been shown publicly prior to the exhibition premiere at New York?s Japan Society, chronicle a lost chapter of history and capture a snapshot of Japan during a time period seemingly erased from history in the wake of World War II.
Other exhibitions whose runs in the Ringling galleries coincide with RIAF and Deco Japan include Mythic Creatures of China, Sanford Biggers: CODEX and Asian and Cypriot Art from the vaults of John Ringling?s private collection. The Ca? d?Zan Mansion and circus museums will also be open during their usual hours for the duration of the festival.
Ringling visitors can easily spend an entire day on the grounds, and because most RIAF festivities do not take place until the evening ? 2:00pm, at the earliest ? there is ample opportunity to make a full day of experiencing everything both the festival and the museum have to offer.
Fitting with the theme of RIAF, Deco Japan and the other exhibitions in the galleries and educational centers at Ringling present an opportunity to experience and interact with facets of culture on both a worldly and local level ? and the Ringling estate?s walk-able grounds make that culture incredibly accessible all in the course of one day.
So how might one go about doing that?
A morning stroll in the rose garden accompanied by a trip to Ringling?s bayside mansion sets the tone for a day of art, leisure and entertainment. The interactive Tibbals Learning Center and accompanying big-top circus museum shed light on Sarasota?s rich circus-based history, and both are conveniently located near both the Treviso Restaurant and Banyan Caf?. Round out the afternoon in the galleries and a walk around the famous Ringling courtyard before catching RIAF?s evening festivities ? and be sure to stop in after-hours to catch a refreshing, meditative glimpse of the evening sky from the James Turrell Skyspace.
The Ringling estate is, in large part, a defining aspect of the RIAF experience and to truly get the most of the festival, interacting with Florida?s premiere arts institution is a must. Museum admission is $10 with the purchase of any stage production or film for that day.
To plan your visit to the Ringling estate during RIAF, check out the official RIAF 2012 festival map and the festival schedule.
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