The Ringling

The Ringling

ABOUT THE RINGLING

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.

ABOUT OUR SCHOOL PROGRAMS

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.

Onsite Visit Options:

Guided Visit for up to 50 participants

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.

On-site Teacher-Led Visits | Up to 300 participants

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.

Virtual Visit Options

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.

 

Bus Scholarships

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.

EDUCATOR CONTACT INFO

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

Live Virtual Tours at The Ringling

Program description

Live Virtual School Tours

These 30-40 minute long tours are facilitated by museum educators who use conversation, activities, and art making to guide students in looking at, interpreting, and thinking about art. Choose from the themes below or ask to speak with an educator about a customized tour to fit your curriculum. All Live Virtual School Tours are hosted by the museum on a secure Zoom platform unless otherwise requested by the teacher.

Live Virtual School Tours are available Tuesday through Friday from 9:00am – 3:00pm EST. After receiving a tour request, a member of education will be in contact within 5 business days to confirm your tour. Please allow 2 weeks’ notice to schedule a Live Virtual School Tour.

Live Virtual Tour Themes

Art-Ish (Grades K-2)

In this introductory tour, students will read the book Ish by Peter Reynolds and look at several works of art from The Ringling’s collections. Using vocabulary gained from the book, students will analyze the works of art and discover color, emotion, and shapes. Students will have the opportunity to create their own work of art at the end of the tour. This tour practices English language arts and visual arts standards. Students will need paper and crayons, colored pencils, or markers for this virtual tour.

Artful Imagination (Grades 3-5)

Learn about color and mood in art on this interactive tour. Students will read the poem Since Hanna Moved Away by Judith Viorst and will analyze how the poem uses color as a symbol for emotions. Students will then analyze works of art and craft color palettes that capture the mood of the artwork. Lastly, students will create a color palette and original work of art that captures an emotion. This tour practices visual art, English language arts, and social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. Students will need paper and crayons, colored pencils, or markers for this virtual tour.

Meet The Ringling (Grades K-5)

Students will define what art is and what museums do. They will explore The Ringling venues highlighting the circus, Museum of Art, Ca’ d’Zan, gardens, and more. Students will then focus on analyzing and interpreting a few works of art from The Ringling Collection. This tour is an opportunity to explore all The Ringling has to experience! This tour practices visual arts standards, English language arts, and social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. This tour does not include art making.

Elements of Art (Grades 6-12)

Elements of Art is the sister tour for Meet The Ringling. This tour explores The Ringling and then focuses on a deeper, formal analysis of artworks in the collection. Here, students will use the elements of art as a lens to analyze paintings, prints, and sculptures from The Ringling collection. Students will discuss the building blocks of art including color, line, shape, form, and pattern. They will practice critiquing works of art and will analyze the composition and choices made by the artist. This tour practices visual arts standards and is ideal for students taking art or art history. This tour does not include art making.

Myths and Legends (Grades 6-12)

Discover thrilling tales from ancient Greece and Rome! Students will explore works of art inspired by Greek and Roman mythology. After learning about various gods, goddesses, mythical creatures, and magical objects, students will…

For grades 6-8: students will create their own god or goddess through writing and drawing.

For grades 9-12: students will explore artworks from The Ringling’s collections that depict scenes from the epic Greek poems. Students will analyze the works of art in the context of Homer’s poems, and will discuss how subsequent generations and cultures have interpreted The Iliad and The Odyssey.

This tour practices English language arts and social and emotional learning (SEL) skills, and is customizable to fit your curriculum.

Museum Careers at The Ringling (All grade levels)

Interested in learning more about museum careers? Join a Ringling educator for a conversation about education and careers in museums. Students will learn about various career fields in museums and have the opportunity to ask questions. This behind-the-scenes look at museum careers is great for students considering education after high school, or younger students curious about opportunities about working in the arts, history, or cultural organizations.

Booking / scheduling contact

Brooke Wessel

   941-358-2697

 schooltours@ringling.org

Program detail
Artistic discipline:
Cultural Origin: Array, Array
Program type: Online Virtual Exploration
Population served: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, K-2
Subject: Language Arts, Social Studies, Visual Art
Bilingual: No
Available dates:

Tuesday through Friday from 9:00am – 3:00pm EST

Location(s):

Virtual Exploration - Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, or virtual platform of teacher's choice

Fees / Ticketing:

FREE virtual program!

Transportation

Is transportation needed for this exploration?: No
Is financial assistance offered?: Yes

Program info

Summer or Family Programs Offered?: yes