Professor Wang teaches painting to visual arts student Zoe Turtle ’18. Photo taken in 2018.
Visual Arts Professor Kirk Ke Wang has been welcomed to the Board of Directors at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. Wang began his tenure with a series of board meetings the week of October 12.
“I never ever dreamed that I would one day be serving on the Board of Directors for the Ringling Museum of Art, when I first visited this museum, one of the largest in North America, and was awed by those large masterpieces of Rubens 30 years ago,” Wang wrote in an October 13 Facebook post.
This achievement adds to an already exciting year for Wang, who joined Eckerd College in 1993 after a stint of teaching at Ringling College of Art and Design. He was also selected to join the Tampa Public Art Committee in May. “I am deeply humbled for the honor and trust,” he added.
The only working artist on the board, Wang has been assigned to two committees: Strategic Planning and Collections.
“Ringling is really striving to have more diversity (in staffing and collections). It’s such a beautiful campus,” Wang noted. “That was really another inspiration and motivation to get involved.”
While serving his three-year term on the Ringling Board, which began July 2020, Wang hopes to use his background with the Collections Committee to work with curators to showcase more contemporary and regional artists among the masterpieces the museum displays. He also hopes to leverage the position to help Eckerd College’s art students see the career pathways in fine arts, including curating and museum management.
“We could bring more of these professionals to show our students restoration and other expertise needed in museum work,” Wang explained. “That would be a great opportunity for us.”
