The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (The Ringling) is proud to offer all school programs free of charge. Located on 66-acres along Sarasota Bay, there is so much to discover at your museum! Circus owners John and Mable Ringling built their Mediterranean Revival mansion, Ca’ d’Zan in the 1920s, and had a vision of bringing art and culture to Florida’s Suncoast. Mr. and Mrs. Ringling expanded their vision to include a Museum of Art housing their extensive European Baroque art collection. After Mr. Ringling’s death in 1936, The Ringling passed to the state of Florida becoming the official art museum of Florida. Since John and Mable’s time, The Ringling has become a large museum complex including stunning grounds and gardens with level-II arboretum status, a Circus Museum which explores the exciting history of the American Circus, the Historic Asolo Theatre with a robust performing arts program, the historic Ca’ d’Zan which explores Florida’s land boom of the 1920s, and the Museum of Art featuring diverse collections of European Art, Asian Art, Contemporary Art, Glass, and Photography.
All school programs at The Ringling are completely FREE. With in-person tours and virtual programs, there are many ways to infuse the magic of The Ringling into your curriculum.
Available throughout the scholastic year
Guided tours, which can accommodate up to 50 participants, are an engaging way to visit The Ringling. Trained guides will lead your students on a 45-55 minute tour involving 2-6 artworks. School tour guides are trained in interacting with students, tying the tour to Florida state curriculum, and leading engaging discussions and activities around works of art.
Guided tours are offered for all grade levels in the Museum of Art. After your guided experience, your group will have access to explore the Circus Museum and Bayfront Gardens at your leisure. Each guided tour has an optional post-tour worksheet to accompany the lessons in the tours. Post-tour worksheets, along with other tour worksheets and planning information, are available for download on our Teacher Resource page. There are many engaging tour themes for your groups! Read the information on our website to choose the right experience for your students.
Available throughout the scholastic year
Teacher-led visits can accommodate up to 300 participants.
Bring your students to visit The Ringling and use the museum as your classroom for the day! Teacher-led visits offer teachers the opportunity to take a FREE field trip to the various venues on campus including the Museum of Art, Circus Museum and Bayfront Gardens. Museum educators do not facilitate teacher-led visits, allowing teachers the flexibility to engage with The Ringling’s collections however you’d like.
All virtual tour programs are completely free. Virtual School Tours bring The Ringling right into your classroom! You may choose between facilitated Live Virtual School Tours and On-Demand Video Tours.
Live Virtual Tours are facilitated by a skilled museum educator and offer high levels of interactive engagement through reading, writing, conversation, and art making.
On-Demand Video Tours are recorded tours accompanied by lesson plans and provide flexibility for teachers to use at their own pace.
Choose from two formats: Live Virtual School Tours or On-Demand Video Tours and submit a request form for the program you are interested in.
We are proud to offer support to schools through our Bus Scholarship Program to offset the cost of bus transportation for their visit to The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Teachers should follow the guidelines on our website to apply for bus funding. Incomplete applications cannot be processed, and all materials must be received at least 6 weeks before your trip. Priority is given to Title 1 schools. For more information and to apply online, visit Bus Scholarships | The Ringling.
Visit The Ringling Welcomes Students for K-12 and College Visits for more information about our FREE school programs!
The Ringling also offers teacher workshops for CEU credit! Visit Professional Development | The Ringling for this year’s hands-on workshop lineup.
schooltours@ringling.org
https://www.ringling.org/visit/group-visits/k-12-school-groups/
5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, Sarasota, FL 34243
Sarasota
941-358-2697
On-Demand Video Tours at The Ringling bring art straight to your classroom!
On-Demand Video Tours provide teachers with the greatest flexibility. Accompanied by a set of three standards-based lesson plans, these tours can be adapted to fit any curriculum.
Videos range from 10–20 minutes in length and provide time for students to interact through writing, drawing, and conversation.
Request any of the On-Demand Video Tours and accompanying lesson plans by filling out this form. Please allow 2-5 business days to process your request.
On-Demand Video Tour Themes:
Students will use their imaginations as they play inside a painting, practice comparative skills as they examine art from different times and places, and explore the personal in art.
Explore 4 works of art that tie into ELA and World History curricula. Students will learn about the shift from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire, Roman religion and mythology, Hinduism and Indus River civilizations, and will daydream in 1930s Mexico City.
Students will explore 3 very different works of art through observation, discussion, and debate. Discover art from diverse cultures and time periods and discuss what is the meaning of art itself.
Students will hone their observation skills as they learn about the animal kingdom. Students will discuss animals kept as pets, wild animals, animals used for work and even mythological animals.
Discover how artists use color to convey a mood or feeling in a work of art. Students will explore 3 works of art at The Ringling and discuss how artists use a color palette to show an emotion or mood in art. Then, students can create their own color palette and create an emotion-inspired artwork all their own.
Artists and authors have been inspired by the ancient Greek poet Homer for millennia. Designed to complement The Iliad, this tour examines the Trojan War through artworks in the museum’s collections. Discover the ways artists continue to be inspired by the classic tale of love, betrayal, and conflict.
The way we portray ourselves in media matters. Join Curator of the Circus Jennifer Lemmer-Posey as we discover the man behind the circus- P.T. Barnum, dazzling and daring circus ring performers, and the self-fashioned Kings of the Circus World, The Ringling Brothers.
Brooke Keller
941-358-2697
schooltours@ringling.org
Virtual Exploration
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FREE virtual program