Spring is upon us! While we rarely deal with the winter doldrums of the north, there is still a palpable, undeniable feeling of expectation and possibility in the air. At Ringling College of Art and Design, we love this time of year. It’s the time when we begin to see not just the beautiful trees on campus blooming, but also our amazing student body, especially our seniors, getting ready to fly from the Ringling College nest.   

This time of year is when the seeds planted at the start of their college careers blossom into the highest level of artwork, projects and presentations. Springtime is also when we gear up for our annual Best of Ringling Exhibition and Senior Thesis Exhibitions. We also have Accepted Students Day, which is devoted to those who will be new, incoming students in the fall.  

But back to the more seasoned creatives. On April 9, we will open our annual Best of Ringling Exhibition to celebrate the top work as selected by outside jurors who are working artists and designers in every discipline provided at the College. Open to Ringling College students of every year and every major, this juried show recognizes the best of the best artwork in all of our majors. For students to have a piece selected for the show is truly an honor. And for many students, this exhibition is a rare opportunity to view the extraordinary art and design work coming out of other majors—how often does an Interior Design student get to view the work of our Film students? For the faculty, staff and community, this exhibition of student work inspires and motivates us to continue our work in support of such talent and creativity.

Right on its heels are the Senior Thesis Exhibitions starting in May. These exhibitions highlight and celebrate the work of students who are about to graduate after four years of dedication and hard work of. It is with bittersweet pride that we recognize these emerging creative leaders and ready them for commencement. Their work on exhibit speaks for itself—they are ready for flight! And we are excited to see where they go and what they accomplish in the years to come. The public is welcome to see this work, as well.

Of course, as we prepare to release our seniors into the creative world, we, as mentioned earlier, are also getting ready to welcome a new class of talented, inspired creatives. The day after our Best of Ringling Exhibition openings and award ceremony, we host our yearly Accepted Students Day, a day of festivities and fun to celebrate our new class and introduce them to their new home in Sarasota. We give them a glimpse into the life of a Ringling student and open up our Best of Ringling galleries to show them and their families what our students are creating. It is a day of celebrations, of new beginnings and of unbridled optimism.

Indeed, we love this time of the year. Spring is the perfect time to fondly look back with appreciation in order to herald a new fresh start. We will watch with pride as our graduates go on to create award-winning films, artwork, interiors, design solutions and much, much more. We will congratulate their promotions and honors, and continue to support them every step of the way.

At the same time we will build new relationships with our incoming young artists, giving them four years of instruction, inspiration and guidance, all the while anticipating the work they will one day show at Best of Ringling, Senior Thesis, and, eventually, as a leader in the world of art and design.  

The energy exhibited at Ringling College evidences the fact that Spring has truly sprung in Sarasota!

Dr. Larry R. Thompson is president of Ringling College of Art and Design.