FEATURED:

Circles and Spheres guided tour with collector, Barbara Basch

Four sculptures by Seattle-based glass artist Richard Royal from the exhibition Circles and Spheres at the Richard and Barbara Basch Gallery, currently on view until March 24, 2023.
Four sculptures by Seattle-based glass artist Richard Royal from the exhibition Circles and
Spheres at the Richard and Barbara Basch Gallery, currently on view until March 24, 2023.

Circles and Spheres guided tour with collector, Barbara Basch

Four sculptures by Seattle-based glass artist Richard Royal from the exhibition Circles and Spheres at the Richard and Barbara Basch Gallery, currently on view until March 24, 2023.
Four sculptures by Seattle-based glass artist Richard Royal from the exhibition Circles and
Spheres at the Richard and Barbara Basch Gallery, currently on view until March 24, 2023.

Until March 24, 2023 Barbara Basch will give twice weekly tours of an exhibition of glass art from the Basches personal collection, Circles and Spheres. The exhibition is a curated selection that contains over 300 pieces. For the exhibition, Barbara Basch and her late husband, Dr. Richard Basch, selected the grouping with Director and Chief Curator of Galleries and Exhibitions at Ringling College Tim Jaeger. 

As she guides guests through the exhibition, she spends equal time on each piece, offering a mix of formal description, process information, and personal narrative — stories of studio visits in Murano, Italy or where in her house each work lives. It’s hard to imagine living in a glass museum. Stumbling through the kitchen in the middle of the night and looking for a glass of water would have all new repercussions. Watching Barbara Basch weave her small frame between the massively imposing and yet frightfully fragile sculptures, might instinctually inspire you to hold your breath. As she confidently rocks and rotates rainbow colored orbs atop white pedestals whose parameters signal, “NO TOUCHING,” she paints a portrait of an intimate relationship with these works. Many of the sculptures did, in fact, live in her kitchen. 

As the title suggests, the works are connected by continuity of shape — the works in the show are primarily circular and spherical. Within the selection, other themes begin to emerge. An excerpt of these works were made by Venetian artists working in Murano, Italy. This corner of the gallery transports the viewer to a medieval archipelago with its aquatic effects and swaths of cerulean and cobalt. One of several works by Lino Tagliapietra titled Medusa (2015), the Italian word for jellyfish and not a reference to the mythological creature, Basch informs, abstractly depicts the aquatic creatures of its namesake. Tagliapietra’s underwater exploration continues across the surface of two orbs, Kuma (2019) and Durango (2019), whose surface treatments bear resemblance to jewellike coral and sea anemones. Between them, several works with great-curving gestures in shades of gold and metallic blue ferry the viewer above ground with the evocation of ornamental Baroque architectural features.

Located in pride of place is a brightly hued highlight of the show, a collection of works by Seattle- based glass artist Richard Royal. Royal’s mix of cast and blown sculptures are full of allusions to art history. The hot sculpted glass, Ode to Mondrian (2019) discloses its meaning in the title, but viewers can arrive at the reference on their own, without the aid of descriptive text. The clear glass is lined on one side with colorful depictions of geometric shapes in primary colors, outlined in black. An untitled yellow blown glass orb with a red swirling stripe gestures towards Op art, with its stretched and twisting optical illusion; and the cast glass, Primarily Red Scroll (2017), invokes the massive sculptures of familiar and household items by the pop art great Claes Oldenberg. 

The whimsical collection is made more so by the personal and anecdotal descriptions generously given by Basch. Her docent tour offers the viewer a fun and subjective take on the typically passive experience of a wall text. Located on the College’s campus, the exhibition offers students and faculty a fun and fresh examination of contemporary examples of the glass medium. Ringling College is also home to a state-of-the-art glass blowing facility located in the Richard and Barbara Basch Visual Arts Center.    

The exhibition will be on view until March 24 and is open Monday through Friday, 9 am-3 pm and Saturday, 12-4 pm. Docent tours led by Barbara Basch are offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10 am. Ringling College of Art and Design’s Richard and Barbara Basch Gallery is located on the first floor of the Larry R. Thompson Academic Center at 2363 Old Bradenton Road.

Collection of works by Venetian glass artist Lino Tagliapietra in Circles and Spheres exhibition

Contact:

941-330-7436

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Staff

Co-Interim Director of Library Services

941-359-7582

Pat Mizak

Co-Interim Director of Library Services

941-309-4055

Alexandra Vargas-Minor

Digital Curation and Special Collections Librarian

941-359-7583

Janelle Rebel

Technical Services Librarian

941-359-7586

Janet Thomas

Instructional Design Librarian

Vacant

Instructional Design Librarian

Vacant

Library Technician III (Cataloging and Metadata Assistant)

941-359-7631

Lisa Martinez

Library Technician II (Periodicals and Interlibrary Loan)

Vacant

Library Technician III (Circulation Manager)

941-359-7587

Tim DeForest

Library Technician III (Acquisitions Manager/Office Support)

941-359-7584

Yolanda Coleman

Library Technician II (Assistant Circulation Manager)

941-359-7587

Christina Song

Circulation Assistant

Jean Ferderber

Circulation Assistant Sooyeon Baek
Circulation Assistant James Harrison

Borrowing

Patron Type # of Items Type of Material Borrowing Time
Student 40 Books 3 weeks
CDs and CD-ROMs 3 days
DVDs and Blu-Ray 3 days
Magazines (unbound) 3 day
Magazines/Annuals (bound) 5 days
Videogames* 7 days
Faculty and Staff 40 Books 6 weeks
CDs and CD-ROMs 3 days
DVDs and Blu-Ray 7 days
Magazines (unbound) 3 day
Magazines/Annuals (bound) 5 days
Videogames* 7 days
Trustee, Alumni, Cross College Alliance, and  15 Books 3 weeks
Ringling College LibraryAssociation Members CDs and CD-ROMs 3 days
DVDs and Blu-Ray 3 days
Magazines (unbound) 3 day
Magazines/Annuals (bound) 5 days
Videogames* N/A
PreCollege 5 Books 3 weeks
CDs and CD-ROMs 3 days
DVDs and Blu-Ray 3 days
Magazines (unbound) 3 day
Magazines/Annuals (bound) 5 days
Videogames* N/A
Local Teacher 15 Books 3 weeks
CDs and CD-ROMs 3 days
DVDs and Blu-Ray 3 days
Magazines (unbound) 3 day
Magazines/Annuals (bound) 5 days
Videogames* N/A
Chartwell’s and Follett employees located at Ringling 15 Books 3 weeks
CDs and CD-ROMs 3 days
DVDs and Blu-Ray 3 days
Magazines (unbound) 3 day
Magazines/Annuals (bound) 5 days
Videogames* N/A
*The video game collection supports the research and teaching of the Game Art & Design program. Video games may not be checked out by Alumni, Ringling College Library Association members or Family members.

Spaces

The Alfred R. Goldstein Library features a wide variety of quiet, group study, and work process spaces. Looking for a quiet study area? Make your way up to the 3rd floor to look for a book in the Research Collection or peruse the new art magazines while relaxing in comfortable seating. When the weather is nice, you can take your coffee from Roberta’s Café on the first floor to one of the four terraces to work outside and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. Looking for meeting space to get together with a group? Check out the group study rooms, which are available on all three floors of the Goldstein Library. The 10 group study rooms are available to students on a first-come first served basis, or available for booking by Ringling College faculty and staff for group and class meetings.

Library Hours

Library Services Hours (when classes are in session):

Sunday: 12:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Monday – Thursday: 8:00 am – 11:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday: 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Holidays and Breaks:
The Library is closed on holidays, as designated by the institution, and typically operates on a Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm schedule during breaks.

Ringling College ID Access Only

Please note a Ringling College ID is required for access, except from 8:30am – 4:30pm from Monday – Friday.

Hours for the Brizdle-Schoenberg Special Collections Center:

By appointment only from Monday – Friday 9:30 am – 4:30 pm, no drop-ins. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

Contact specialcollections@c.ringling.edu to schedule an appointment.

Visit Us

Ringling College of Art + Design
Alfred R. Goldstein Library
2700 N. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34234-5895

Download a campus map

Suggest a Purchase: Library Acquisitions Request

We welcome recommendations for new library materials from the Ringling College community. Librarians will consider all requests bearing in mind their appropriateness for the collections and the current budget.
(*=Required Field)

Ask Us

chat loading...
 
Advanced Search

Text us: 941-208-4542
Email us: research@ringling.edu
Call us: (941) 359-7587

Schedule a research consultation

Schedule an appointment with one of our librarians or a research consultant.