Ringling College goes Hollywood for Avant-Garde

Hollywood came to Ringling College of Art and Design the evening of March 16, and the characters were out in full force for the college’s annual Avant-Garde fundraiser.

Guests at the event always come decked out in brilliant costumes, and this year was no different given the night’s “Lights, Camera, Action!” theme. Indiana Jones was there, as was Audrey Hepburn, Elvis and Priscilla, Sonny and Cher and many Barbies — both “weird” and normal.

But the most anticipated moment of the evening is always the welcome performance by Ringling College President Larry Thompson and his wife, Pat, who came out as the all mighty Oz and Glenda the Good Witch from “The Wizard of Oz.”

More than 400 attended the event, co-chaired by Frank and Katherine Martucci and Carol and Richard Kalikow. The evening raised hundreds of thousands in student scholarships for the school, one of the preeminent art colleges in the country.