Ringling Underground is a series of one-night only events that invites emerging contemporary artists to exhibit sculpture, installation, performance and interactive media in the courtyard of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, alongside musicians performing on the main stage. This series encourages artists to push the boundaries of their practice by exhibiting without the luxuries of gallery walls or lighting, while also transforming the function of the museum; the Ringling transcends its role as an archiving and collecting institution, into one that seeks to actively engage the contemporary artists and patrons within its community. Ringling Underground is proud to present these outstanding artists currently working in the Sarasota and Tampa Bay area, and is excited to feature many more throughout the season. Joni Younkins-Herzog is a local sculptor and currently a professor at the State College of Florida. She earned a Masters of Fine Arts from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Georgia in Athens. Since 2004, Younkins-Herzog has exhibited her work throughout the United States and abroad in Columbia, Peru, Poland, and recently returned from an artist residency in Ghana, Africa. A virtuoso in many mediums, Younkins-Herzog lures the viewer in with luscious colors and materials to contemplate anxious content in close proximity. Her works range widely in scale from small wearable pieces to large sculptures and installations incorporating sound. Her research and studio practice is dedicated to acquiring new technical skills in many materials, including re-purposed and recycled elements. More of Joni Younkins-Herzog’s work can be seen at www.joniyounkinsherzog.com Gigi Lage was born in Miami and is currently pursuing her undergraduate education at the University of South Florida within the Sculpture and Video Program. Lage has exhibited across Florida and will be featured in an exhibition curated by Tempus Projects during Gaparilla Festival of the Arts in Downtown Tampa's Curtis Hixon waterfront park scheduled to open in March. Inspired by disease and illness, Lage explores the subject of death along with her own uncontrollable hypochondria. Her work has been seen in multiple platforms and examines themes of anxiety, alienation and detachment within herself as well as others. More of Gigi Lage’s work can be seen at www.gigilage.com Michelle Fader graduated in 2012 with a B.F.A. in Photography from the University of South Florida and had her first solo exhibition that same year at the Centre Gallery in Tampa, Florida. Her work has also been seen at the Tampa Museum of Art and the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. Fader's photographs represent exaggerations of memories from the artist's life or lives of others. “Depending on the duration between the time of an occurrence and the recalling of it, the brain alters the memory in subtle ways, changing or omitting factual details. The brain’s propensity to fabricate long-term memories exists in the work as a visual representation of imagination. The photographs are presented as cinematic stills to elicit a relationship between the viewer and the work. Experiences were chosen that contained something out of the ordinary, and standout elements were embellished to create photographs reflecting the strange nature of life, further twisted by imagination.” Says Fader about the work. More of Michelle Fader’s work can be found at www.michellefader.com Mark Morgan is a self-taught artist who does his part to keep his neighborhood clean while expressing his emotions at the same time by up-cycling detergent bottles and using them as the base medium for his art. Morgan’s work is a testimony to his ability to draw unique associations between things others typically overlook. His sculptures are a tangible expression of years where he bottled up emotions, each one was created during a time of extreme emotion—anger, sadness, joy, grief, happiness. In an effort to remain as environmentally friendly as possible, the sculptures are made from mostly found plastic bottles, the only exceptions being metal fasteners and glass marble eyes. Darcy Little is a fine artist originally from Lexington KY who provided original designs for Ringling Underground. Little will complete her B.F.A. in Fine Art this year at Ringling College of Art + Design; their work often incorporates traditional drawing and painting mediums while merging a strong digital and technical practice. More of Darcy Little’s work can be found at www.behance.net/darcylittle Live Music by these fantastic Florida performers: Bard & Mustache (Experimental Chamber Pop from Sarasota, Fl) www.bardandmustache.com Zulu Wave (Rock, Pop, Indie, Experimental from Tampa, Fl) www.zuluwavemusic.com Morningbell (Psychedelic Rock from Gainesville, Fl) www.morningbellonline.com