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 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.