RINGLING MUSEUM RECEIVES $1 MILLION GIFT

Philanthropist David F. Bolger, President of the Bolger Foundation of Ridgewood, NJ and Longboat Key, FL has donated $1.105 million to fund Phase I of a waterfront landscaping plan at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. The gift will be used to make improvements to the estate’s 66-acre property along the waterfront area by connecting the Ca’d’Zan mansion to the south property line with path ways, seating, lighting and landscaping.

“The waterfront is an important component of the Museum experience,” Mr. Bolger said. “My gift will create a place of tranquility where Museum visitors will be able to sit, enjoy the beauty of the landscaping and the bay, and contemplate life and their place in it.”

The gift will be used to complete the first phase of a larger landscaping improvement plan that will create a usable space providing facilities for outdoor experiences for museum visitors. Upon completion of the first phase of the plan, visitors will stroll along the bay on a palm lined promenade leading toward the Ca’d’Zan. Seating will line the pathway facing west toward Longboat Key. A paved square adjacent to the south end of the Ca’d’Zan will be available for rental to the public for social events, dancing, etc. The first phase of the landscape improvement plan is scheduled for completion in late June, 2010.

“The Ringling Museum is deeply grateful to Mr. Bolger for his commitment to the visitor experience of the Ringling grounds,” said Interim Director T. Marshall Rousseau. “Thanks to his ongoing generosity, our visitors will have a place to reflect on the beauty of this unique property and the important role that John and Mable Ringling played in creating a thriving Sarasota cultural community.”

Pictured: The courtyard of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.