Steven High
Executive Director
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
Sarasota, Florida
Mr. High holds a Master of Arts degree in art history from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. and a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He also earned a MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to his appointment to the Ringling Museum, Mr High was Director and CEO of the Telefair Museums in Savannah, GA, the oldest art museum in the South.Mr. High is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2006 Nijinsky Award from the Sierra Arts Foundation and the 2003 Directors Chair Award from the Western Museum Association. Under his leadership the Nevada Museum of Art received the 1999 National Award for Museum Service, the highest national award for museums, which was presented at a White House ceremony.
R. Lynn Whitelaw
Curator
Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art
Tarpon Springs Campus of St. Petersburg College
After working in the museum field for the past twenty-one years,in 2011, Mr. Whitelaw became the first budgeted curator at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, an award-winning building, designed by area architect Ed Hoffman, Jr., on the Tarpon Springs Campus of St. Petersburg College. Prior to this appointment, he served as the founding director of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art since its inception in 1998. Mr. Whitelaw was curator of education at the Tampa Museum of Art from 1990 to 1998 and employed at Hillsborough Community College for 15 years working in various administrative and teaching capacities. Over the years, Mr. Whitelaw has organized over one hundred and twenty art exhibitions; been a judge for numerous Florida art shows, including the Temple Beth El, Ocala Arts Festival, and Lake Wales Art Show; and, has served on various boards and committees, including the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. Mr. Whitelaw has participated in several national programs, including as a presenter for the Smithsonian Institute, and has been a teacher and lecturer at various institutions in the Tampa Bay area. Mr. Whitelaw is a graduate of Florida State University with both bachelor and master degrees in the History and Criticism of Art. His collegiate experiences include a year of study abroad in art history at the FSU Study Center in Florence, Italy.
