What is the Community Gallery?

The Ringling Community Gallery is a free public exhibition space dedicated to displaying works of art produced by community-based, non-profit, or student groups in the local Sarasota/Manatee area. It is intended to make the museum more inclusive and accessible to our community. It is located on the ground floor of our Center for Asian Art. The Community Gallery is generously funded by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

What is the process for submitting an exhibition proposal for the Community Gallery?

Please check our website or email [email protected] to see when we will be accepting new proposals. All interested groups must submit a brief application that outlines their proposed exhibition and provides background information about the group. An inter-departmental group of museum staff will review the applications and make selections. Please note that we receive significantly more applications than we can accommodate, so priority will be given to those proposals that best represent the Ringling’s commitment to our mission.

The Community Gallery is located on the first level of the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian Art, and admission to the gallery is always free. Please let our visitor services staff know upon arrival that you will be visiting the gallery.

Interested in applying? Check out our guidelines at the following link for more information about our Community Gallery. View Guidelines

Current and Upcoming Exhibitions

December 4th – April 3rd

Mid-Century Modern Astro-Futurism – South Sarasota Modern Quilt Guild

April 5^th – July 30^th

Art from the Heart: CONNECTIVITY – Streets of Paradise

Fall 2025

The Poynter Institute for Media Studies
Rowlett Academy Visual Arts Primary Focus

Summer 2026

Digital Design, Suncoast Technical College

Winter/Spring 2026

Juried Student Art Exhibition

Contact information:

If you have additional questions about the Community Gallery, please contact: [email protected]

The Community Gallery is generously funded by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

Past Exhibitions

Sumi-e Society of America Sarasota Chapter: East Asian Brush Painting

Boys and Girls Club of Manatee County

Easter Seals Southwest Florida

Academy at Glengary: Art of Recovery

Fabulous Arts Foundation: Drag Culture Timeline

Manuel Álvarez Bravo: Students Respond 

The Art of Medicine – In collaboration with Sarasota County Medical Society

Art at Home – In collaboration with Ringling Family and Outreach programs 

The Edge Becomes the Center: A Contemplation on Community – In collaboration with the Senior Friendship Center and RCAD students

A Centennial Celebration: The Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and the Ringlings – In collaboration with the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce

Ringling Re-Imagined – In collaboration with Ringling Family and Outreach Programs

Looking for Angola – In collaboration with New College professor Uzi Baram, his students, and community scholar Vickie Oldham.

Art from Within: Selections from the Ringling Museum’s Staff 

Welcome to our World: Visual Literacy and Collective Knowledge – In collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club of Manatee County

Unidos Somos Más – In collaboration with UnidosNow

Glimpse of the Artist: A Community Celebration in collaboration with the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition