36 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 1 2008
F L O R I D A
The legacy of circus
king and entrepreneur
John Ringling, this
museumhas longbeen
considered the official
State Art Museum of
Florida.
Consisting
of more than 13,000
objects collected over
years of traveling, the museum has drawn
art fans for decades to its romantic 1930s
villa-like estate that sits on 66 lavish acres
onSarasotaBay. But it was time for a face-
lift. Enter renowned architect Yann Wey-
mouth, of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum,
oneof theworld’s largestarchitecturefirms,
andhis teamof structural dreamers.Under
their tutelage — and for a mere $43 mil-
lion and the addition of the contemporary
UllaR. andArthur F. SearingWing— the
Visitors flock toFlorida year-round
for its sugarywhite, powdery sand;
the art deco of SouthBeach; out-
of-this-worldCuban food; and, of
course, Disney’sMagicKingdom. But
four newmuseumprojects designed
by star architect and international
museum expert YannWeymouth
are giving us fourmore reasons to
head to theSunshineState— and
reminding us that Florida is for art
lovers too.
ByBeccaHensley
Art
and
the
Sunshine
State
YannWeymouth
5401BayShoreRoad
HOURS:
Sevendays aweek:
10 a.m. to5:30p.m.
ADMISSION:
Adults:
$19
Seniors:
$16
Students, children, teachers,
activeU.S. military:
$6
Childrenunder six:
free
TheJohnandMableRinglingMuseumofArt
WHERE:
Sarasota
THEGOAL:
Expansion andRefurbishment
STATUS:
Finished, openedFebruary2007
complexwas reborn. Sensitive toRingling’s
spirit and careful to retain the allure of a
bygone era externally, they transformed
the interiors, adding 30,000 square feet of
minimalist galleries.Now, pristine interiors
in21galleriesprovidean ideal backdrop for
astonishingworks, someofwhichhadbeen
relegated to storage in damp basements
and condemned buildings over the years.
PaintingsbySirAnthonyVanDyck,Nicolas
Poussin, Diego Velázquez, and Peter Paul
Rubens are just some of the highlights of
the Asian, European, and American col-
lections, while the belovedCircusMuseum
treats visitors to such sights as the world’s
largestminiature circus, antique costumes,
wagons, and other artifacts that chronicle
the history of the circus. Also renewed
are the Mable Ringling rose gardens and
grounds.
Theworld’s largest
miniature circus
SearingWing
MableRingling
rose gardens
