About Ringling College of Art and Design:
For more than 75 years, Ringling College of Art and Design has cultivated the creative spirit in art and design students from around the globe … transforming our visual world.
Founded in 1931 by noted art collector, real estate magnate, and circus impresario John Ringling, the private, not-for-profit college is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design [NASAD http://nasad.arts-accredit.org] and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools [SACS www.sacscoc.org] to confer the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree [BFA].
Located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the picturesque 35-acre campus today includes 80 buildings, and enrolls nearly 1,100 students from 43 states and 23 foreign countries – more than half of whom reside on the pedestrian-friendly residential campus. Its 130+ faculty members are all professional artists, designers, and scholars who actively pursue their own work outside the classroom.
During the past two decades, Ringling College has evolved into one of the most prestigious colleges of its kind in the United States, alongside the Rhode Island School of Design, Pratt Institute, Parsons School of Design, and the Art Institute of Chicago. With a better than 2:1 computer to student ratio, it is also recognized as a leader in the use of technology in the arts. In 2006, BusinessWeek magazine named the college one of the top Design School in the world and one of only 10 in the entire United States.
The School’s rigorous curriculum engages innovation and tradition through a strong, well-rounded, first-year program and a deep focus on the liberal arts. Students pursue 1 of 13 disciplines leading to their BFA degree: Computer Animation, Digital Filmmaking, Fine Arts, Game Art & Design, Graphic & Interactive Communication, Illustration, Interior Design, Photography & Digital Imaging, Motion Design, Printmaking, Sculpture, Painting, and Advertising Design; or students choose to earn a BA in Business of Art and Design.
Ringling College students and alumni are heavily recruited throughout the country by a wide variety of outstanding organizations, including such noted names as Hallmark Cards, CNN Headline News, Sony Pictures Imageworks, DreamWorks, Disney, Pixar, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, American Greetings, and even the Central Intelligence Agency. Its students and alumni receive many accolades for their superior art and design talents.
Ringling College is proud to be a Sony IPAX Partner (http://www.sonypictures.com/imageworks/ipax/index.php)
The College believes passionately in the development and support of the whole student by preparing each graduate to be both successful in their chosen career, as well as social responsible artist-citizens. As a testament to the educational principles instilled in them, students donate hours upon hours of their personal time to volunteering on a myriad of local community public service projects. Their desire to offer of themselves to support those in need is one of the most significant signs of their belief in personal involvement and social responsibility.
Aside from the degree program, Ringling College provides students and the community access to its noted Selby Gallery – “Sarasota’s premier gallery for contemporary art” – to view the works of nationally and internationally known artists, illustrators, photographers, sculptors, and designers throughout the year. A recent merger of Ringling College of Art and Design and the Sarasota Museum of Art [SMOA] will also add a Sarasota’s newest Museum as a new division within the College, providing students, as well as the entire greater Sarasota community access to the latest in contemporary art, while, at the same time, preserving the beloved, historic Sarasota High School in a creative re-adaptation to house the Museum.
