Precarious Possessions is an installation of life-sized Victorian furniture recreated in glass sculpture. Each of the three works, Crib, Cradle, and Sideboard with Blue China represents a particular moment in our lifespan and reminds us of our ties to the objects which define us through societal conventions.
Critical to the success of any circus is advertising. For centuries, banners have been used to promote the show and the star performers. These restored banners were created by Frans De Vos (1880 – 1936), a prolific scene designer who lived in Balegem, Belgium.
Drawn from the Ringling's permanent collection of photographs, rare books, and works on paper, Expressive Bodies surveys the ways in which artists have conceived of the human form over four centuries in Western art.
Through circus posters, explore the changing nature of commercial printing from wood block to the modern offset lithography process.
Over 100 years after Marcel Duchamp changed the course of Western art by joining two ordinary objects, a bicycle wheel and a stool, together, contemporary artists make widespread use of the everyday.
The Ringling Museum of Art has a noteworthy collection of more than 250 fans, some of which are exhibited in these two galleries reflecting the heritage of fans from many parts of the world. One gallery focuses on Asian fan traditions, and one on European fan traditions.
Trenton Doyle Hancock is best known for his extended series of visual work that develops the intricate personal mythology of the Mounds and the Vegans, two diametrically opposed universal forces that play out the archetypal battle between good and evil.
The printed advertising that was the dominant media for circuses of the 19th and early 20th centuries offers a fascinating glimpse at how American attitudes slowly evolved, becoming increasingly informed and interested in the cultures and experiences of people from around the globe.
Appalachia USA, is an epic documentary project by the New York-based photographer Builder Levy that presents life and labor in coal mining communities through lush black and white photographs.
While the styles of clowns have evolved since the circus debuted, the role of the clown as a visual symbol of the circus is still strong. This exhibition examines the use of the clown image in circus advertising from the 1850's to present day.