Elaine Keating Announces a Million Dollar Match Program for the Sarasota Museum of Art

Ringling College of Art and Design president Dr. Larry R. Thompson and Wendy G. Surkis, president of the Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA, a division of Ringling College, today announced that Ringling College trustee and SMOA board member Elaine Keating has pledged one million dollars to match new contributions to the Sarasota Museum of Art to help propel it to its completion in a 'Million Dollar Match' program.

In the 'Million Dollar Match' program every donor dollar given will be matched up to one million dollars by Elaine Keating's gift. "Our community needs a world-class venue for contemporary art," said Mrs. Keating. "I am very excited by the Sarasota Museum of Art, what will take place in that building and I am extremely motivated to have it finished. The campaign is already 80 percent funded - if we close the funding out by May we can get started remodeling the building. It's been like waiting for a new baby to be born - the final success after so much effort and expectancy. I wish it had only taken nine months, but at this point we are so close I pledged this 'Million Dollar Match' to unite our community in finishing the campaign."

"Elaine has been an exemplary supporter of Ringling College and instrumental in driving our innovation and growth over the past two decades," said Dr. Thompson. "Her 'Million Dollar Match' pledge underlines the depth of her commitment to the creation of a contemporary art museum in Sarasota like no other in the world. We are awed and inspired with Elaine's drive to complete the funding and encourage arts supporters and believers in Sarasota's future as a creative nexus to join with her in giving to make SMOA a reality."

According to SMOA president Wendy Surkis, "Elaine is one of the founding SMOA members and has been unwavering in her enthusiasm and commitment to establishing a contemporary art museum in Sarasota. Her confidence in the great value SMOA will bring to children and adults is evidenced by her original seven-figure gift to get the funding campaign started. Now she is showing her continued generosity and motivation by stepping forward with this magnificent 'Million Dollar Match' so we can complete the fundraising and move on to renovation. I love her for that and am eternally grateful."

Mrs. Keating concluded, "The people that come to Sarasota could live anywhere in the world, but we chose Sarasota. It's the culture that brings us here. The Sarasota Museum of Art is the missing link in our community for being the center for the arts that we are. I was an artist as a youngster and an art major in college. I went into business but have always had a preference for the visual arts. Ringling College is a pioneer in educating contemporary visual artists. This museum is a way for Ringling to connect even more with the Sarasota community. After all, the College may not have a football team or field, but the renovated Sarasota High School will be our football field highlighting contemporary and modern art. We are so close and my intention for this gift is to help finish the campaign and get our team on the field. It gives me great joy to be at a point in life to be able to do this - all our people benefit from it."

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, Ringling College and SMOA will transform the former Sarasota High School building into nearly 60,000 square feet of 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.

SMOA has already been engaging and educating the community through the ARTmuse program. Lisa Hoke, the current artist in the SMOA 2014 ARTmuse program, began working on her installation on January 15 and will work through February 4. Using massive quantities of everyday consumer materials, Lisa is creating one of her color-saturated installations with the assistance of volunteers from our community, akin to the work SMOA is doing to re-purpose the location into a dynamic arts destination for contemporary visual art.

The 2013 ARTmuse 'Stickworks' project with artist Patrick Dougherty exemplified the power of art to engage residents and visitors, with hundreds of volunteers helping Patrick weave his work, thousands visiting and walking through his creation and millions seeing 'Stickworks' as they pass in their vehicles on US 41.

To participate in the 'Million Dollar Match' program for the Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA, please call Wendy G. Surkis at 941-309-7662 or visit http://www.SarasotaMuseumOfArt.org.

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.

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 76 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