SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 – Shareholder Thomas F. Icard, Jr., has been named as an emeritus board member of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Icard became a member of the museum board of directors in 2017 and rotated off earlier this year after completing two 3-year terms.
In a letter congratulating Icard on the emeritus status, Board Chair Warren Colbert, Sr., thanked Icard for his service and continued support, “Your consistent goodwill toward the museum and past exemplary service makes the emeritus formal recognition a well-deserved honor.”
For generations, The Ringling Museum of Art, the official state art museum of Florida, has been among the signature cultural institutions in the community. “I have been among the many who admire The Ringling since my first visit there on a grade school field trip,” said Icard. “Those who have not been on the campus in a while would be impressed at how much the museum has grown well beyond the original galleries and gardens that were left to the people of Florida by John Ringling, along with Ca’ d’Zan, the restored Ringling mansion.”
In 2003, Icard Merrill’s board of directors pledged $50,000 to the museum over a five-year period. This endowment helped the museum obtain state matching funds, not long after Florida State University assumed governance. Thereafter, Icard and his wife, Cameron, attended and supported the organization’s programs and events for many years before he was invited to join the board. Today, earnings from the endowment continue to support Ringling programs and mission-related activities.
“The Ringling is unique and comprised of a particularly exceptional group of folks,” Icard stated. “I found my time on the board to be extremely rewarding and personally broadening. In my view, the future of The Ringling has never been brighter under the leadership of Executive Director Steven High, and the extraordinary curatorial staff and current board.”