Wonder: Human Experience and the Arts
On June 6-9, 2024, The Ringling hosted Wonder: Human Experience and the Arts. As a museum complex featuring visual and performing arts alongside circus history and a Gilded Age mansion, all situated on a bayfront campus, The Ringling is truly a site filled with wonder. This interdisciplinary symposium explores wonder as a source of creative inspiration, artistic medium, and physical and social well-being.
There is still time to drop by the Museum Store, located in the Visitors Pavilion, for amazing WONDER merchandise!
Wonder at The Ringling is supported by a generous gift by FORE.
June 6-9, 2024
$289 | Members save 10%
The full symposium ticket includes active attendance at all sessions Thursday June 6 – Sunday June 9, in addition to all three keynote sessions. Full symposium ticket holders are also invited to attend a Courtyard reception on Friday, June 7 following the keynote session, and a WONDER Sunset Celebration on Saturday, June 8 at the Bolger Campiello following the keynote session.
Keynote Lectures
Keynote Lectures
Keynotes are included in full Symposium Admission or may be purchased individually
Kaywin Feldman
National Gallery of Art
Thursday, June 6 @ 6:00 PM
Historic Asolo Theater
$45 | Members Save 10%
Historic Asolo Theater
$45 | Members Save 10%
Shinique Smith
Artist
Friday, June 7 @ 6:00 PM
Historic Asolo Theater
$45 | Members Save 10%
Historic Asolo Theater
$45 | Members Save 10%
Erin Clabough, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Saturday, June 8 @ 6:00 PM
Mildred Sainer Pavilion
$45 | Members Save 10%
Mildred Sainer Pavilion
$45 | Members Save 10%
Schedule at a Glance
Thursday, June 6
Noon-6:00 PM: Check-in
2:00 PM: Welcome to Wonder | Jennifer Lemmer Posey + Katie Nickel, Ed.D. | The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
2:10 PM: Curiosity, Wonder, and Museums | David Berry, Ph.D. | Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
2:30 PM: Collection Walks and Co-Creating a Digital Wunderkammer of Place – Intro | Sue Uhlig | Purdue University + Penn State University
3:00 PM: Wonder Winder Wander | Sydney Lemelin + Alyssa Braud | The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Artist
3:00 PM: Explore the Wonders of The Ringling
Keynote Session
6:00 PM: Kaywin Feldman | National Gallery of Art
Friday, June 7
9:00 AM: Morning Gathering | Jevon Brown + Glenn Hendrick | The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
Wonder Works
9:15 AM: Wonder in Language Invention | Carolina González, Ph.D + Gabrielle Isgar + Susan Cox | Florida State University
9:15 AM: Photopoetry Recess | Emily Carr, Ph.D. + Tricia Tondryck | Southern Illinois University, Artist
9:15 AM: MOVE Through: Embodying Visual Art Through Movement | Jess Pope + Connie Cuadrado | Artist, Sarasota Art Museum
10:30 AM: Community 0f Wonders | Steven High | The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
11:30 AM: Lunch
Performance and the Body
1:00 PM: Victorian Wonders | David London | Independent Scholar & Magician
2:00 PM: Electric Wonder: Loïe Fuller and the Serpentine Dance | Kat duPont Vecchio | Independent Scholar
2:30 PM: Living Wonders: PT Barnum and the Language of Sideshow | Betsy Golden Kellem | Independent Scholar
Light, the Universe, and the Sublime
3:00 PM: Exploring a Queer Sense of Wonder in the Arts | Hunter O’Hanian + Andy Johnson | Independent Scholar, Georgetown University
3:45 PM: Contemporary Art, Wonder and the Sublime | Ronald Bernier, Ph.D. | Wentworth Institute of Technology
4:00 PM: Respiration Meditation | Natalia Guererro | University of Florida
4:30 PM: Introduction to Joseph’s Coat: Skyspace, by James Turrell (2011) | Ola Wlusek + Glenn Hendrick | The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
Keynote Session
6:00 PM: Black Wonder and Rainbows | Shinique Smith | Artist
7:00 PM: WONDER Reception
8:00 PM: Ringling WONDERGround
Saturday, June 8
9:00 AM: Morning Gathering
Embodiment Disability, Difference, and Display
9:15 AM: Finding Wonder in the Disability Archives | John Gulledge, Ph.D. | Emory University
9:30 AM: Ephemeral Wonder, Curiosity, and Discomfort in the Archive | Maggie Vanderford + Matthew Solomon, Ph.D | University of Michigan
10:00 AM: The Wonder of the Art of Circus | Lisa B. Lewis | Omnium Circus
Wonder Works
10:30 AM: Creative Flow: Poetry and Partner Yoga | Emily Carr, Ph.D. + Tricia Tondryck | Southern Illinois University, Yogi
10:30 AM: Thought-stopping Wonder: Proposed Solutions to Alienating Awe in the Special Collections & Archives Classroom | Rachel Duke + Taylor Henning | Florida State University
10:30 AM: Making Space for Wonder | Erin Clabough, Ph.D. | University of Virginia
12:00 PM: Lunch
Wonder in the Details
1:30 PM: Experiencing Wonder within the Walls: A Video Journey of the Second-Year Students’ Single Resident Occupancy (SRO) Models | Kelley G. Robinson | Florida State University
1:45 PM: Close Looking in the Galleries
Preservation: Assuring Access and Awareness of Wonder
3:00 PM: Wonder under Siege: Resisting the Exclusionist Agenda | Victoria Eudy + Jaimee Jensen + Christina Alderman + Jay Boda, Ph.D. | Missouri Historical Society, University of Aberdeen, Rhode Island School of Design, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
3:45 PM: The Virtual Wunderkammer and Embodied Neuroaesthetics: A Proposed AI-Augmented Exploration of NeuroArts and the Neural-Physiological States of Wonder | Piper Hutson, Ph.D. + James Hutson, Ph.D. | Lindenwood University
4:15 PM: Wonder in Native Nature: The Connections We Make Experiencing Untouched Places | Pamela Elisabeth Lindeback | Florida State University
4:30 PM: Preserving Material Objects of Wonder: A Conservator’s Perspective | Emily Brown | The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
5:00 PM: Collection Walks and Co-Creating a Digital Wunderkammer of Place – Wrap Up | Sue Uhlig | Purdue University + Penn State University
Keynote Session
6:00 PM: We Are Built for Wonder: A Neuroscience Perspective | Erin Clabough, Ph.D. | University of Virginia
7:00 PM: WONDER Sunset Celebration
Sunday, June 9
9:00 AM: Closing Breakfast
Meet the Presenters
This three-day gathering will bring together dozens of unique voices from academic and artistic communities around the globe in a multi-faceted exploration of wonder.
Learn moreLocal Resources
Find everything you need for a WONDERFUL visit to Sarasota and The Ringling!
Related Programs
The following events are free and open to the public. Tickets are required, space is limited.
This Event is Sold-out!
June 7 @ 8:00 PM
Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime WONDERground at The Ringling! The Museum of Art Courtyard will be transformed into a wonder-filled playground, pairing the wonders of art, architecture, warm summer nights, and live contemporary music.
This Event is Sold-out!
Family Art Making: Wonder Walk
June 8 @ 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
To celebrate our Wonder @ The Ringling Symposium, we invite families to dive into all to the ways to experience WONDER at The Ringling.
WONDERful Merch
Now Available!
Be sure to drop by the Museum Store located inside the Visitors Pavilion for all of the great WONDER products available. The Museum Store is open during regular museum hours. Museum Admission is not required to visit the store.
