Art is a medium so special and unique to the human race, a form of expression so deeply engrained in us that almost everyone can enjoy and appreciate art in one or all its forms. Those who create art live, breathe, and devour it, until art has become an extension of their very being. The Ringling College of Art and Design knows this well, and that drive to create and express is what fuels the private college in Sarasota.
Already one of the most prominent art and design schools in the country, Ringling wants the world. On January 29, the goal of international renown took a huge step forward, when Dr. Joel Morganroth and Dr. Gail Morrison Morganroth gifted the Ringling College of Art and Design with a record-breaking donation of $15 million — the largest the school has ever seen.
The philosophy behind the Morganroth philanthropy is deeply rooted in the facilitation and support of higher artistic learning and training. The Drs. Morganroth wanted their donation go toward forward-thinking education and community enrichment, and Ringling was their glass slipper.
Their generous donation will provide for numerous academic and community projects Ringling is involved in, including the new Virtual Reality department and major now being offered — the world’s first. On top of the new department, the donation will provide scholarships for students, endowments for existing departments and, most importantly, an open door to preeminence for the school. The Ringling College already produces outstanding and competitive artists — some of whom go on to work for Pixar and Disney — and the Morganroth donation promises to only increase the output of groundbreaking artists.
The greater Sarasota community stands to benefit from the donation, as well. The Sarasota Museum of Art will receive a portion of the donation from the Morganroths, which will bring a wave of vitality and excitement for art and design to the Sarasota community.
This article appears in Feb 1-8, 2018.