Off to Sarasota and The Ringling College of Art and Design
After taking off from Kinston Regional Jetport, we left North Carolina and headed towards our next destination in Sarasota, Florida at Ringling College of Art and Design. Founded in 1931, Ringling College of Art and Design, is a private institution with a lovely campus upon forty-nine acres. It is highly regarded as one of the top design schools in the world and both students and alumni are heavily recruited by organizations such as Pixar and DreamWorks.
We were there that day to have a meet and greet with David Shapiro, Co-Founder of Future Films, LLC along with his business partner, Sam Logan. Future Films has been working with the school to develop the Ringling Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab, a groundbreaking program that combines education with film development. The Studio Lab is designed to provide Ringling College students majoring in Digital Filmmaking hands-on experience with top-tier directors, producers, writers, and cinematographers, as well as help Sarasota become an integral part of the film industry. We were very impressed with our visit to this school and are thinking of ways to perhaps utilize some of these young, energetic, and talented students as interns at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
1 We first went to the Keating Center, a fully-restored 1920s-era hotel, which was originally purchased by the school's founder, John Ringling. Upper floors are student housing with offices on the ground floor, where we met the president.
2 Here we are with college president, Dr. Larry Thompson.
3 This is the Ulla Searing Student Center, another multipurpose building on campus - student housing, Computer Animation and Game Art & Design studios and classrooms, fitness center, café, etc.
4 Environmental responsibility is a core philosophy on the Ringling College campus. The architectural footprint of the student center was built around the base of these 80-year-old oak trees.
5 The three story Academic Center atrium features a Dale Chihuly glass wall installation, measuring nearly 6 feet in diameter.
6 The Chihuly work is a gift to the college from Sarasota residents Dr. Richard and Barbara Basch and is part of their extensive glass art collection.
7 The lobby outside the Advertising Design and Motion Design classroom/studio space on the third floor of the Ringling Academic Building.
8 The Student Center houses the Computer Animation program. Film posters line the hallways of the studio space with plaques below each one listing Ringling College alumni names who worked on each film.
9 Ringling graduates have worked on all top 10 animated features of all time, and its students have been rewarded with numerous Student Academy Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
10 Each Computer Animation classroom provides a teacher station and projection that can mirror what the faculty member is doing so that all students in class can learn together.
11 Gael Towey, me, and Kevin Sharkey looking at the work of a senior computer animation student. Instructor and Department Head, Jim McCampbell described the project progress to date.
12 An animated student short entitled “Anchored” by graduate Lindsey Olivares, won 'Best of Show' at the 2009 SIGGRAPH Asia. Lindsey is now employed at DreamWorks Animation.
13 Evan Mayfield’s 'The Visionary' - a story about a frog learning to wear a new pair of contacts, a Student Academy Award winner in 2008. Evan now works as an animator at the Walt Disney Company.
14 The frog
15 Each year, Advertising Design majors are challenged to create a costume and 'be the brand' of one of their favorite advertising icons. This class photo are the freshman of 2008.
16 This freshman computer animation major showed me his traditional animation drawings.
17 Before touching a computer, all animation skills must be learned the old-fashioned way – drawing by hand! These desks were donated by the Disney Feature Animation Studios in Orlando.
18 The Ringling College Design Center is a hub of creativity in a design studio setting.
19 Photography & Digital Imaging Senior Athena Torri took a photo of me with the Design Center students.
20 The Design Center studio acts as a professional agency environment where each student receives an 'office' for the semester-long class, as well as 24/7 access to their workplace.
21 Here I am with Jennifer Mumford who gave me this most excellent bag.
22 Quidditch captain Alex Terry, an Advertising Design major, presented me with a Ringling College Quidditch broom and T-shirt.
23 Senior graphic student - Ben Kowalski and faculty member Allen Harrison showed me Ben's app project called 'Mooch.'
24 The Academic Center is one of two LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Gold certified buildings on the campus.
25 The line outside the auditorium waiting to hear me speak
26 The 207-seat Ringling College Academic Center Auditorium before my appearance
27 It filled up!
28 Ringling College President, Dr. Larry Thompson, introduced me to an over-capacity crowd of donors, faculty, students, and community members.
29 Dr. Thompson and I engaged in a compelling Q&A about my early days, my career, digital media, and my critiques on today’s cyber-generation. My advice - 'get off the phone!'
30 A few portraits by Illustration teachers displayed outside the classrooms.
31 Later in the evening, we arrived at at David Shoemaker & Yara Michaels home for a lovely dinner.
32 Here I am with Yara. Great photo taken by Jay Van Dam http://www.jayvandam.com/
33 The beautiful view from the terrace of their home
34 The woman speaking is Katherine Harris - former Secretary of State of Florida - she plays a large part in developing the Studio Lab.
35 Here I am with Sam Logan and David Shapiro - co-founders of Future Films, LLC.
36 Dinner was served on this amazing terrace.
37 Posing with Don and Karen Grierson - wonderful supporters of the Ringling Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab
38 Ariane and Bob Dart, Yara Michaels, Dr. David Shoemaker - Community activist, and Margaret Wise
Photos By Martha Stewart @marthastewart and Eliad Laskin @joemartha
Martha, do you know what the requirements are to get into this school. I'd never heard of it before, but I am going to give my grandson this information.
He has been looking into the school in Savannah. I can't remember the name of it.
You look good, as usual, and Kevin seemed to be having a good time.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | March 8th, 2011 at 6:07 pm
Martha, thanks for sharing this lovely school and dinner with us. Looks like you had a couple of pocket tweets working for you. Did you know you can delete those you know?
Posted by: KLBrown | March 8th, 2011 at 6:07 pm
Thank-you for the photos of the Sarasota school of art and design. Wish I had know of this school when my son was younger. He always liked cartooning on the computer. Still does some now. Also enjoyed the North Carolina trip to Kinston, NC. The same son works for a microbrewery in New Hampshire. I told him about your trips and to look it up. Thanx again.
Posted by: Carol Delaney | March 8th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
Looks like a great match for everyone. Skills, special talents and a hope for the future.
Posted by: Margie | March 8th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
Hi Martha,
I am having so much fun reading about your daily adventures on your blog! I knew you had many talents but truly had no idea how many different things you were involved in! From my home here in Vermont your life appears to be so exciting!
Posted by: Lisa | March 8th, 2011 at 7:09 pm
How wonderful to learn in such great surroundings! Martha...that is a wonderful home and esxquisite terrace where you had the pleasure of wining and dining!
Posted by: sherey | March 8th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Thank you, Martha, for visiting Sarasota, FL. May I ask what you meant by your advice in photo #29, "Get off the phone!"
I hope you are not referring to texting more and getting further and further away from interpersonal communication. But then again, I don't want to assume anything.
Thank you,
Mike
Posted by: Mike Payne | March 8th, 2011 at 8:20 pm
Hi Martha,
This sounds like a really fabulous school and obviously the students are very talented with graduates having worked on all top 10 animated features of all time. How fabulous that they also received awards from the Academy of Motion Pictures for their hard work! Impressive too is the fact that they learn their craft on the drawing board first. There is a lot of work involved with showing a character in action on paper - I certainly couldn’t do it. Well, it will be interesting to see what evolves with those who might intern at MSLO. No doubt many are already thinking about how exciting that would be. Thanks for sharing another part of your busy days before making it down to Miami to finish out the weekend at the Food and Wine festival. Enjoy WPB – the weather sounds great for Wednesday but maybe some rain and cooler evenings. Trish
Posted by: Trish | March 8th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
I am an interior design student at Ringling and am a little disappointed that it is not mentioned that the Interior Design department at Ringling Art and Design School is ranked one of the best in the country - alongside the othr mentioned majors. We had hoped to see you in the interior design department that day because you and your interior design products have inspired so many of us. Maybe next time.
Posted by: Cheryl Jones | March 8th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
Hi Martha, Hope everything is OK. Sure missed seeing your blog post earlier and am so happy to see it now. I went shopping to PetSmart this afternoon and got lots of your fantastic pet products for Dudley Do Right and he is happy as a lark! Great prices today, also! This is an extremely interesting blog post about very lucky college students and the wonderful things they get to do there. I've been out of college since 1959 and my, how things have changed. How lucky those students were to hear your speech and I'll bet they really enjoyed your presence there. That sure is a beautiful college and how wonderful that it is supported by such fabulous people. Loved seeing you on the Today Show today and those pastry items you made looked delicious! Was great to see Joan and Melissa Rivers on your TV Show today, also! Need to go comment on The Daily Wag so talk to you later. Hope you had a great day! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | March 9th, 2011 at 1:18 am
Fascinating! I admire the creative people and the surroundings seem to be great. Everything is made so students can let their creativity explode!
Posted by: FunkySteph | March 9th, 2011 at 7:30 am
Fun in Florida pictures almost make me want to skip my staycation here in Dakota. Dinner on Outdoor terrace would be very cold as my patio is under 5 foot of snow today but spring always comes. When our boys were young, we had picnics in the snow but now is much simpler to enjoy life via others as Sarasota college blog here.
Posted by: ann | March 9th, 2011 at 9:04 am
Thank you for sharing the pictures of this wonderful visit. I love animation, and seeing those talented students at work, it really inspired me to get my sketch notebook out and just draw.
Hope you are having a gorgeous morning.
Alba Olaya
Posted by: Ingredients of a Woman | March 9th, 2011 at 11:46 am
Thank you for showcasing the talented students that are in Art and Design. This field is so hard to get into and the students that are accepted into these fine schools are some of the most talented in the country. Don't forget about internships for those talented students attending Savannah College of Art and Design!! Another TOP Art and Design school in the country. Hope you get to go visit there one day and blog about the talent in that school. You could say that I am partial to SCAD because my daughter is a Junior Illustration Major there!! Maybe she can intern for you one day? Mom can only dream.
Posted by: Beth Salles | March 9th, 2011 at 11:56 am
Thanks for visiting Ringling, Martha! I graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration back in 1999. Attending college and receiving my degree from Ringling was one of the best experiences of my life! The instructors were amazing industry professionals!
Posted by: Mike Sofka | March 9th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
I toured the Ringling School when I was looking at colleges back in the day. Ultimately I opted to study Art History instead and attended a good southern university for my degree.
Posted by: Kate (Southern Belle Simple) | March 9th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Hello, I had the pleasure of seeing Martha in Sarasota with my son, a 3rd year illustration major/ business art minor. We both thoroughly enjoyed the interview. After hearing his whole life about Martha, Martha, Martha, he was so impressed to hear her talk about her accomplishments, expertise, and the future of the industry.
Gael, I was the one who asked if Martha would accept a gift. (the quilt) We waited, but had to leave because my son had a class to get to.
I wasnt' sure if you came back, or because of time constraints had to leave. If you think it is something Martha would enjoy, I would be honored to send it to her.
Thanks again for a wonderful evening !!
Posted by: Jill | March 9th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
Hi, awesome photos, and yes I agree with others, please do not forget SCAD in Savannah. My daughter is a student at this prestigious school and LOVES it! I hope to meet you one day if you ever have the opportunity to visit Norcross, GA.
Posted by: Chris W | March 9th, 2011 at 10:49 pm
Our daughter attended Ringling School of Art and Design graduating in 1990. She lived in the dorm (or the Keating Center) on the top floor! She really enjoyed her college life but it is not what we used to think of as a typical art school...It provided more of a real working environment and training so the students don't graduate and then become just "starving artists" hoping to make it in their art field.
We loved visiting her there as did my mom and dad, her grandparents, because Sarasota is such a beautiful city and such a wonderful place to "go to college".
She and her husband, also a Ringling grad and now working for Hallmark in Kansas City, have kept up with many of their friendships made there. One friend is their professsor Regan Dunnick, who designed the purse you so proudly display in picture #21, such a lovely gift. You are a lucky woman!
Posted by: Penny Clarke (Mrs. Ron) | March 10th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Hi Martha,
I enjoyed hearing about your trip to my home town and getting an inside peek at what goes on at RSAD (as it was called when I took summer classes there as a high school student). I hope you enjoyed your time in Sarasota!
Posted by: Erin Davenport | March 10th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
Sarasota loves Martha Stewart, no doubt about it, and we look forward to future opportunities to be graced by her presence and projects! The Ringling College is truly groundbreaking -- paradigm shifting -- achieving goals never before thought possible for an "arts college" in television, film, animation and other media. Thank you, Martha, for enriching this effort through your visit!
Posted by: Jeanne Corcoran, Director - Sarasota County Film Commission | March 10th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
What a wonderful school. Think they take 53 year olds?
Posted by: Audrey | March 10th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
I graduated from Ringling in 1998 - it has changed tremendously since then. My dorm was the Keating Center for my first 3 years. That's so great that Martha went to visit - with that could have happened back when I was there!
Posted by: susan shaw | March 10th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
I was so excited to hear you were visiting Ringling. My son is currently a senior in the Animation major. He was in the class that you visited that day.
I just have to tell you how you affected my life when you had Angie Dudley aka Bakerella on your show. She inspired me to create the cake pops I make today. Many of my cake, cupcake and cookie recipes come from you too. Thank you also for being an inspiration to me and to those at RCAD!
Posted by: Maria Machado | March 11th, 2011 at 9:09 am
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Hi Martha,
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Gee, I haven't been around much, off on my own productions, but took a peek by and saw your picture with Yara. You know, I actually think you're the prettier of the two. Age means nothing when structure prevails!
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Love and Barks,
Andrea and the Weimaraners
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Posted by: Andrea Spencer | March 13th, 2011 at 12:56 am
Martha,
Our daughter Corrin attends Ringling and was honored to be able to present you with a piece of her work the day you visited. Although we were disappointed her photo with you didn't make the blog, we were lucky enough to receive a copy from the newspaper person that took it. It is a photo our family will treasure.
My wife and daughter have always been huge fans, I however would appreciate just a smidge of room on the TiVo that is not some type of Martha special, or daily show. In spite of myself , I too find myself watching and enjoying your show ( though I will not admit it)
Corrin would love the opportunity to work for your organization.
Thank you again for visiting.
Posted by: Todd LoCascio | March 28th, 2011 at 8:27 pm