Photos courtesy Ringling College.

Ringling College of Art and Design on Wednesday, Nov. 29, announced the public launch of our comprehensive fundraising campaign: Catalyst for Creativity. Since 2018, the College has been in the silent phase of the campaign and has raised over $128 million of a total $175 million goal. Pretty incredible. 

Over the last five years, Ringling College has accomplished so much. We opened the Sarasota Art Museum or Ringling College in 2019, which is truly an exceptional and world-class contemporary art museum for the community and our students, offering countless events and educational programming. We established more than 50 endowed scholarships totaling millions of dollars for deserving students who otherwise could not afford to attend college. We launched two new academic majors—Virtual Reality Development (in 2018) and Entertainment Design (in 2019). And, this year, we reached our highest enrollment of all time, with 1,722 students. As a result, we have considered ourselves very fortunate because Ringling College continues to thrive. 

What I just briefly described are only a very few of the many milestones that signify that Ringling College is on its way to achieving its vision: to be the preeminent art and design college in the world. But we still have some work to do, which is why we decided it was the perfect time to publicly share the Catalyst for Creativity campaign goals with our wider community.

In order to prepare our graduates for an ever-expanding global and creative economy, we know it is our responsibility to invest heavily in academic innovation and creative thinking. Thus, our Catalyst for Creativity campaign encompasses three essential priorities, all sharing equal importance and weight: Building Creativity, Igniting Creativity, and Connecting Creativity. 

Building Creativity refers to the expansion and upkeep of state-of-the-art facilities and technology on campus. One building in particular, which we are currently calling the Signature Academic Building, will be located on the corner of North Tamiami Trail and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way—the entrance to Ringling College’s campus. This unmistakable iconic facility will serve as an entry point to the College and as a signifier for visitors that they have entered the cultural hub that is Sarasota. It will include the first-ever Campus Welcome Center for prospective students, families, and visitors. It will house four of the College’s high-tech majors and also offer a flexible event space available for our creative community. Located near the first-floor entrance will be the new Richard and Barbara Basch Gallery, featuring a rotating selection of the 300 unique pieces created by internationally celebrated glass masters. Plans for the building have been approved, and construction is slated to begin as early as fall 2024. 

Igniting Creativity is all about student and faculty support. Integral to Ringling College’s mission is attracting diverse students and faculty members who possess an array of perspectives, experience, and talent that is essential to the vibrancy of Ringling College. Strategic and sustained outreach and ongoing funding in the form of scholarships are required to support students through the entirety of their college years. This pillar also seeks funding to assist faculty, provide funding for academic departments, as well as fund faculty and staff professional development. Key investment components include student scholarships, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programming and initiatives, endowed department head positions, and a new Center for Teaching Excellence. 

The Connecting Creativity facet of the campaign is focused on engaging our local community with Ringling College. Sarasota has long been a place for culture and the arts to flourish, attracting some of the world’s most exciting international artists, thought leaders, and authors to share their work and perspectives. Ringling College is a major force in that effort. Through more than 100 programs offered annually, the College provides opportunities for students, and for roughly 100,000 local residents and visitors from around the globe to gather, learn, and experience the power of creativity. 

I believe we have something truly unique at Ringling College. For many years now we have had the privilege of being an institution that has helped to provide creative resources for this community and helped shape it into what it is today. As a corollary, it’s the people in this community who have, in turn, been instrumental in our sustained growth and success.

Ringling College’s mission is to educate our students, our community and the world to understand art and creativity as essential dimensions to life. I have always said that creativity should be tangible and produce real and actual results. Meeting this campaign goal will help us continue to spark creativity in our students, community, and beyond for decades to come.

Dr. Larry Thompson is president of Ringling College of Art & Design.

Photos courtesy Ringling College.