Ringling College's Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA Receives $300,000 Grant From The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation– Leaving Just $509,435 Raise to Complete Campaign
Sarasota, FL (PRWEB) May 02, 2014 -- Ringling College of Art and Design president Dr. Larry R. Thompson and Wendy G. Surkis, president of the Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA today announced a $300,000 grant from The Selby Foundation as a vote of confidence toward completing the $22 million fundraising goal for the museum project by May 31, 2014.
The Selby grant follows the successful completion of both a ‘Million Dollar Match’ created by SMOA Board Member and Ringling College Trustee Elaine Keating, and an additional $1 Million Challenge from an anonymous donor, which was announced March 22, 2014. Since the $1 Million Challenge was revealed, $940,565 has been raised of the necessary $1.45 million remaining. The $1 Million Challenge will be met only if SMOA secures the final balance of $510,125 during the next 30 days.
Dr. Sarah H. Pappas, President, The Selby Foundation expressed her Board’s support of the SMOA project: “The Selby Board was pleased to support Ringling College of Art and Design’s SMOA project that will help preserve an iconic building in Sarasota and establish a new art museum at the same time. We hope our $300,000 capping grant will motivate other donors to meet the challenge of the anonymous donor to raise a million dollars by May 31 to complete this important project.”
"The Selby Foundation has had a long history of support to Ringing College and this new grant showcases the Foundation’s continuing interest in leadership giving and community support," said Dr. Larry R. Thompson, president of the Ringling College of Art and Design.
The Selby Foundation has been a strong supporter of Ringling College for the past 35 years, funding various capital projects and scholarships. Selby Foundation contributions helped expand the College’s on-‐campus Selby Gallery, a premier venue for community engagement and visual arts education. “This wonderful Selby Grant comes at a critical hour – helping at a key moment in time just days away from our fundraising deadline. Finalizing the Campaign is now firmly within our reach,” said Wendy G. Surkis, SMOA president and Ringling College Board of Trustee. “As with all campaigns, the last mile is the toughest. Anyone who gives now will carry us across the finish line and we look forward to more members of our community stepping forward to help complete this dream!”
Sarasota County Arts Alliance President Jim Shirley said the addition of a modern art museum in one of the most important historic buildings in Sarasota would be a boom to tourism, the local economy and Sarasota’s brand as the cultural capital of Florida. “If we will simply pull together as a community and help raise these final dollars to complete SMOA’s capital campaign, we will be able to place another jewel in the crown of our most important community asset,” said Shirley.”
As Sarasota’s first art museum devoted to modern and contemporary art, SMOA interweaves exhibitions, educational programs and community outreach initiatives to engage a diverse audience and serve as a stimulating hub for creative discovery. When fully funded, SMOA and Ringling College will transform the former Sarasota High School building into 60,000 square feet, including exhibition space, a 110-‐seat, multi-‐purpose auditorium, sculpture court, indoor/outdoor café, classrooms and studios providing education programs for adults and children, and meeting spaces. Renovation will begin soon after final funds are secured and will take approximately 18 months to complete, with the opening anticipated for January 2016.
For more information on contributing to the Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA, contact:
SMOA: Wendy G. Surkis at 941.309.SMOA (7662) | http://www.SarasotaMuseumOfArt.org.
Ringling College Office for Advancement: 941.309.4733 | smoa(at)ringling(dot)edu
Photo Links:
SMOA model photos ©Ringling College of Art and Design | Dick Dickinson
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View of Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA scale model sculpture garden/back exterior
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View of Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA scale model back exterior entrance
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View of Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA scale model full view back exterior
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View of Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA scale model auditorium interior cross section
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View of Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA scale model interior cross section
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View of Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA scale model interior cross section with classroom
About The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation
By investing in people through academic scholarships and supporting capital projects of local organizations, the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation looks beyond what is and enables change for what can be. From scholarships to swimming pools; from theaters to science labs; and from senior citizens to schoolchildren, The Selby Foundation has changed and enhanced the lives of our citizens. Thanks to the thoughtful vision of its founders in establishing their private charitable foundation in 1955, a wide variety of initiatives have benefited in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties.
About Sarasota Museum of Art
Sarasota’s first museum of modern and contemporary art will be a dynamic destination for exhibiting innovative and compelling visual art of the 20th and 21st centuries. A vital part of Sarasota’s rich cultural legacy, the museum will interweave exhibitions, educational programs and community outreach initiatives to engage a diverse audience and serve as a stimulating hub for creative discovery and discourse for children and adults.
About Ringling College
Ringling College of Art and Design is a private, not-‐for-‐profit, fully accredited college offering the Bachelors Degrees in 14 visual art and design disciplines. Located in Sarasota on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the picturesque 48-acre campus now includes more than 110 buildings, and enrolls nearly 1,300 students from more than 50 countries. It is recognized as being among the best and most innovative visual arts colleges in the United States as well as a leader in the use of technology in the arts. http://www.Ringling.edu
Contact Information
Rich Schineller
Ringling College of Art and Design
(941) 780-8100
Christine Meeker Lange
Ringling College of Art and Design
(941) 302-2769
Rich Schineller, Ringling College of Art and Design, http://www.ringling.edu, +1 (941) 780-8100, [email protected]
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