Ringling Museum Welcomes New Member of Curatorial Team

Sarasota, FL—July 3, 2007—After a national search, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art welcomes Alexandra Libby as the new Assistant Curator of European Art.

“Alexandra joins the museum at an exciting time as we are expanding our exhibitions programs, taking on several major traveling shows, forming new partnerships with other museums, and creating our own traveling exhibitions, many of which will travel to other museums.  Her experience and enthusiasm in research and exhibition development will be a tremendous asset to the curatorial team,” says Curator of Collections Dr. Stephen Borys.

Libby will be helping in the organization and coordination of upcoming exhibitions at the Museum. She will also be working with Dr.Stephen Borys, curator of collections at the Museum, on the production of the Museum’s new Handbook, the first comprehensive guide to all of the collections on the Ringling estate, and the iPod audio tour for the Cà d’Zan mansion.

Libby received her Masters of the Arts in Art History from Boston University in May 2007, and graduated with her Bachelor of the Arts in Art History from Colby College, Maine.  Libby comes to the Ringling having held research and teaching positions at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Horvitz Collection, a world renowned collection of French drawings and paintings, Boston Architectural College, the Soprintendenza dei beni archeologici in Florence, Italy, and at David Findlay Jr. Fine Art, Inc. in New York. 

The Curatorial department oversees all art collections and exhibitions at the Ringling Museum.  Following the reinstallation of the 21-permanent collection galleries of the Museum this past spring, the department launched an iPod Audio Tour featuring over 60 works of art installed in the galleries.  Highlights of the world collection of Old Masters paintings and sculptures include important works by Baroque and Renaissance artists, such as Titian, Veronese, Giordano, Rubens, Van Dyck, and Hals.  

Currently on exhibition in Searing Wing are Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism from the Brooklyn Museum, closing September 16, 2007; Canaletto Paired:  18^th-century Venetian View Painting, closing July 29, 2007; and In Our Time: The World Seen by Magnum Photographers, closing August 12, 2007.

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida State University, is the state art museum of Florida.  It preserves, develops, and enhances the legacy of John and Mable Ringling and engages and educates a large and diverse audience in a world-renowned collection of art, Cà d'Zan (the Ringlings’ mansion) and its historic contents, collections documenting the circus and its history, the historic Asolo Theater, and the architecture, courtyard, gardens, and grounds overlooking Sarasota Bay.

General Admission includes the Ringling Museum of Art, special exhibitions, Ca' d’Zan Mansion, Circus Museum, and Mable’s historic Rose Garden, all on 66 acres of lushly landscaped grounds. Adults are $25; senior citizens (65 and over) are $20; children ages 6-17 are $5.  Free Admission for children 5 and under accompanied by an adult, museum members.  Advance tickets are available by calling 941.358.3180. Visit Ringling.org for more information.

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida State University, is one of the largest museum/university complexes in the nation.  It preserves the legacy of John and Mable Ringling, educating and enabling a large and diverse audience to experience and take delight in a world-renowned collection of fine art; Ca' d’Zan, the Ringling historic mansion; the Circus Museums; the Original Asolo Theater; and historic architecture, courtyard, gardens and grounds overlooking Sarasota Bay.
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