Media Contact: Pam Fendt
Chief, Marketing & Communications
Phone: 941.359.5700 ext. 2801
pam.fendt@ringling.org
Anna E. von Gehr Joins The Ringling and Florida State University Foundation
Sarasota, FL – August 5, 2013 – Anna E. von Gehr has been appointed as the Senior Director of Development
for The Ringling in Sarasota, Florida. Serving under Director, Steven High and Glen Jack, Vice President for
Constituent Programs at the Florida State University Foundation, von Gehr will lead The Ringling team’s
campaign to enhance the scholarship, practice, and presentation of art and culture.
"With her experience in both museum and university fundraising and her deep appreciation for the arts, Anna
brings to the position at the Ringling a unique background and extensive experience that will propel our
development program forward," said Steven High. "I'm thrilled that she has joined our staff and I look forward to
working with her and her development team to attract even greater programs, exhibitions, and collections to our
community."
von Gehr comes to Florida State and The Ringling from the University of Virginia where she served as Director
of University Arts Development. Working in partnership with the Vice Provost for the Arts she managed the Arts
Strategic Planning process while assisting all Arts units in garnering transformative philanthropic support. An
area of focus for the University was the restructuring of their two academic art museums.
von Gehr, working in partnership with museum directors for U.Va.’s The Fralin Museum of Art and The Kluge
Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum, completely restructured the programming for both organizations resulting in
dramatic increases in attendance and annual support. In addition to stabilizing the museums and their role at the
University, she completed a $30 million campaign for The Fralin Museum of Art as part of the University’s
ambitious $3 billion campaign.
In addition to her work at U.Va., von Gehr served as the Major Gifts and Planned Giving officer at the Virginia
Museum of Fine Arts. She was an integral part of the museum’s senior leadership team overseeing the successful
completion of their recent $172 million capital campaign.
“I am thrilled to be joining The Ringling team at such an exciting time. My passion for museums and the vital role
they play in society drives both my professional and personal life. The Sarasota community with its deep
commitment to the arts was an easy choice for me and my family to call home.”
Anna has recently made Sarasota her permanent home with her husband, artist Rob Tarbell, and their two-year old
daughter Dorothea.
###
About The Ringling
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the State Art Museum of Florida. Affiliated with Florida State University, it
is one of the largest university arts complexes in the nation. It features the Ringling’s winter residence, Ca’ d’Zan, as well as
a Museum of Art, a Circus Museum, the Historic Asolo Theater, all situated on a beautiful sixty-six acre estate on the shores
of Sarasota Bay. The Museum of Art is world-renowned for its collection of Old Master paintings, which includes works by
artists such as Paolo Veronese and Diego Velasquez. It has become synonymous with the Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens,
whose Triumph of the Eucharist series is displayed in two of the most awe-inspiring galleries to be found anywhere in
America. In 2011, the Ringling opened Joseph’s Coat, a Skyspace by created by artist James Turrell. This extraordinary
installation is the cornerstone of a program known as Art of Our Time, which showcases the talents of today’s leading visual
and performance artists. The Circus Museum documents the rich history of the American circus. It houses a wealth of circus
artifacts, as well as the world’s largest miniature circus. The Historic Asolo Theater is an active performance space,
presenting the best in theater, music, dance, and film. The Ringling features an extensive variety of native and exotic trees, as
well as the oldest rose garden in Florida, founded by Mable Ringling. The Ringling Education Center is home to The
Ringling Library, which houses more than 88,000 volumes from the 16th-21st centuries, relating to all aspects of the
Museum’s collections.