BY JEFFERY SEAY, EDITOR
Florida State Times

What began as John Ringling’s personal vision has evolved into a world-renowned cultural legacy with the Feb. 3 opening of the Arthur F. and Ulla R. Searing Wing at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla.

The Searing Wing is the fourth new building to open on the estate in 14 months, and its opening marks the completion of the museum’s successful, five-year master plan transformation, which included restoring all existing venues, building four new buildings and raising a more than $50 million endowment.

The Searing Wing is named for generous local philanthropist Ulla Searing and her late husband, Arthur. Searing’s pledge of $6.5 million was signed in 2005 and matches half of the building’s construction costs in endowment.

“The completion of the Searing Wing is a milestone, not only for the museum and Sarasota, but for all of Florida State University and for the state of Florida,” FSU President T.K. Wetherell said. “The successful completion of the museum's master plan — including raising more than $50 million for its endowment and restoring existing structures is a testament to the dedication, hard work and generous support of Ulla Searing and of many other gracious contributors, dynamic leaders and devoted staff.”

The building’s architect, Yann Weymouth of the Tampa firm HOK allowed John Ringling’s vision to shine through in the new building. The Searing Wing’s exterior blends seamlessly with the 21-gallery Museum of Art, originally planned by Ringling, and the new wing’s design was based on the 1920s renderings by Ringling’s architect, John H. Phillips.

Inaugurating the Searing Wing are two special exhibitions: “Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry from the Walters Museum of Art,” through May 27, and “Encouraging American Genius: Master Paintings from the Corcoran Gallery of Art,” through April 29. In addition, two pocket exhibitions are on display: “Masterworks Exchange,” featuring two paintings by Frans Hals, through April 29, and “Stone and Fire,” featuring a selection of works from the museum’s Asian collections.

The four new buildings of the master plan have doubled the size of the Ringling Museum, ranking it among the 20 largest art museums in North America. More than $56 million was invested in new structures, contributing more than 165,000 square feet of usable space. Added to the $21 million required to restore the Ringling’s historic structures, the total investment by the state of Florida in facilities and infrastructure exceeds $76 million.

“The museum is by far bigger and better than it has ever been — something we are sure John Ringling would be proud of,” said John Wetenhall, executive director of the Ringling Museum of Art.