Cary Jay Morrison Trust Gifts $645,463 to Sarasota Museum of Art
Sarasota, FL (PRWEB) February 09, 2015 -- Ringling College of Art and Design president Dr. Larry R. Thompson was presented today with a check by Mr. K. Judson Boedecker, trustee for the Cary Jay Morrison Trust, in the amount of $335,463. The check was presented to Dr. Thompson at the future location of the Sarasota Museum of Art, the historic Sarasota High School building which is currently undergoing major renovation. SMOA President Wendy Surkis and Brad Goddard of PNC Wealth Management also participated in the presentation.
The Cary Jay Morrison Trust was created by Doctor Cary Jay Morrison, a native Floridian and retired Sarasota dentist. It was his desire through this Trust to philanthropically support the Ringling College of Art and Design and its efforts to restore the Historic Sarasota High School and the College’s efforts to use the building to create the Sarasota Museum of Art as well as continuing education space for the community.
Dr. Morrison died in 2012, but the legacy he created lives on to this day. Mr. Robert A. Kimbrough, the Trust’s attorney, and Mr. K. Judson Boedecker, its Trustee, have managed the Trust’s assets with the goal of making his dream a reality.
Mr. Boedecker, as trustee for the Cary Jay Morrison Trust, first delivered to Dr. Thompson a $310,000 check in October of 2013 and today a check for $335,463. According to Mr. Boedecker, these will be the first in many future annual contributions by the Trust to support the ongoing activities of the Museum.
“We value the commitment and dedication of our community in supporting the vision of the Sarasota Museum of Art,” said Dr. Thompson, “and we are grateful for the generosity and foresight of benefactors such as the Cary Jay Morrison Trust in helping to provide the economic foundation that is making our shared vision a reality. “
While the building is being renovated and repaired to preserve the architectural integrity of the iconic high school building, the College is undergoing an extensive search for an executive director for the museum with a recruiting firm with proven experience in the art museum leadership field.
As Sarasota’s first art museum devoted to modern and contemporary art, SMOA will interweave exhibitions, educational programs and community outreach initiatives to engage a diverse audience and serve as a stimulating hub for creative discovery. Ringling College and SMOA are transforming the former Sarasota High School building into nearly 60,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 110-seat, multi-purpose auditorium, a sculpture court, an indoor/outdoor café, classrooms and studios providing education programs for adults and children, and meeting spaces.
The Sarasota Museum of Art (SMOA) is a division of the Ringling College of Art and Design. SMOA has already been engaging and educating the community through the ARTmuse program which has featured artists Lisa Hoke and Patrick Dougherty. Their public works exemplified the power of art to engage residents and visitors, with hundreds of volunteers helping both Lisa and Patrick create their works and thousands visiting and walking through their creations. Additional ARTmuse artists were: Judy Pfaff, Seth Randall, Janet Echelman and Lesley Dill as well as Museum professionals Karole Vail, Curator from the Guggenheim and Stephen Brown, Curator from the Jewish Museum.
About Ringling College
Ringling College of Art and Design is a private, not-for-profit, fully accredited college offering the Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in 13 disciplines: Advertising Design, Computer Animation, Digital Film-making, Fine Arts, Game Art & Design, Graphic & Interactive Communication, Illustration, Interior Design, Motion Design, Painting, Photography & Digital Imaging, Printmaking, and Sculpture, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Business of Art & Design. 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 42 states and 53 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
Rich Schineller, Ringling College of Art and Design, http://www.ringling.edu, +1 (941) 780-8100, [email protected]
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