Old high school transforms into first contemporary art museum in Sarasota
Vacant high school is now Sarasota’s newest museum
It took a long time to figure out what to do with the old Sarasota High School. Once they decided, it took a while to get it done. Once, they did though, the Sarasota Art Museum -- or SAT for short -- came to life. In a town known for its museum and galleries, this is a welcome addition, and only a one-tank trip away.
SARASOTA, Fla. - The old Sarasota High School building sat vacant for years – until now.
For a while, it seemed no one could figure out what to do with it, but no one wanted to tear it down either. Then, those at the Ringling College of Art and Design had an idea: repurpose the old building and turn it into a contemporary art museum.
Thirty million dollars of private funding later, you have the brand new Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College. In a town known for great art and galleries, this is Sarasota's first museum dedicated to contemporary art.
Everything is temporary. There is no permanent collection. Some of the top artists in the world are showing their work there.
Ringling College president, Dr. Larry Thompson never thought he would build another museum. He already did that with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. He told FOX 13 he is proud of that, and now he is also proud of the new Sarasota Art Museum too.
"The folks of Sarasota came through in a very, very big way," he explained. "There's no permanent collection. Instead, the exhibits change every three, four, five months. It's never constant. But that's the way contemporary art is anyway."
His goal is for it to be a world-class contemporary art museum.
LINK: For more information, head over to Sarasota Art Museum's website.
