Pictured: Matthew McLendon. Photo by Daniel Perales.

For nearly seven years as curator of modern and contemporary art at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Matthew McLendon has worked with artists both regional and international to build a vibrant and accepting atmosphere for modern and contemporary art within the museum and out. This week, McLendon announced that he would be leaving the Ringling come January 2017 to take over as director of the Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia.

Through programs such as the Art of Our Time initiative, which celebrated and supported contemporary artists like Trenton Doyle Hancock, whose work did not always fit the rigid contours of museum taxonomy, McLendon not only expanded the purview of the storied institution but simultaneously brought it closer to its roots and the bold tenure of its first director, Arthur "Chick" Everett Austin. That mission lives on, McLendon says, left in the capable hands of Executive Director Steven High, Curator of Performance Dwight Currie and Associate Curator of Photography Chris Jones, and he “would not even entertain the notion” of leaving were that not the case.

“The contemporary program here at the Ringling is well on its way and supported in such a way that it will continue well into the future,” McLendon says. With the recent opening of the Keith D. and Linda L. Monda Gallery of Contemporary Art complementing the revamped Searing gallery spaces and the upcoming Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion, McLendon leaves the Ringling with near 10,000 square feet dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Instead of lamenting his departure, he points to the possibilities inherent in introducing a new voice to the curatorial staff of the museum in his successor, “which is important and should be very exciting for everyone,” he says.

Still, the departure is bittersweet, says McLendon.“I love the Ringling, I love Sarasota and Sarasota has been so good and wonderful to me in every way,” he says. “It’s difficult to leave, but Sarasota will always be home to me.” And he’ll take a little bit of Ringling with him to Fralin: “Chick Austin will always be one of my professional touchstones. The lessons I learned from what Chick did at the Ringling, I will carry with me always.”

As the move to Virginia nears, it’s time to see old friends, nab some beach time and revisit some favorite restaurants, he says, summing up his time with the Ringling and Sarasota in three words: “Supported. Encouraged. Optimistic.”

Pictured: Matthew McLendon. Photo by Daniel Perales.