A press & media preview will be held on Thursday, July 17 from 9-11:00 a.m.

Selby Gardens is world renowned for its outstanding plant collections, but it is also a great place to observe ospreys, egrets, herons, and other birds that call Sarasota home. More than 160 bird species have been documented at the Downtown Sarasota campus.

Organized by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography and curated by photography experts William Ewing and Danaé Panchaud, the exhibition will feature some 70 works by more than 50 photographers from around the world. The works will be presented in the galleries of the Richard and Ellen Sandor Museum of Botany & The Arts and outside throughout the gardens, where art mirrors nature in unique and unexpected ways.

Birds have long fascinated, perplexed, and inspired human beings. These captivating subjects have also featured in photographs throughout the nearly 200-year history of photography. Some of the contemporary photographers represented in the exhibition specialize in the photography of birds. Others have only occasionally captured images of birds, and a few have done so merely by chance. The resulting combination of images provides a rich and varied perspective on the subject.

The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography was founded by Todd Brandow in 2003. Based in Minneapolis, this non-profit organization has produced shows on a variety of subjects that have travelled to more than 30 countries on four continents over the past two decades. The High Life is the second collaboration between the foundation and Selby Gardens. The first was the Flora Imaginaria exhibition, featuring the flower in contemporary photography, held in the summer of 2022. Birds and flowers have a mutually beneficial relationship, with the former serving as pollinators and the latter as sources of food. Both subjects are particularly appropriate for Selby Gardens, where art inspired by and presented in nature is at the heart of The Living Museum®.

Jennifer Rominiecki, President & CEO of Selby Gardens stated, “Selby Gardens has always celebrated the beauty and diversity of the natural world—from our world-renowned plant collections to the incredible birdlife of Sarasota. The High Life exhibition invites visitors to experience both through the lens of contemporary photography, highlighting the vital connection between art, nature, and conservation.”

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Celebrating Leadership and Conservation: Four New Species of Air Plants from South America Named in Tribute to Visionary Individuals, Including Selby Gardens President & CEO Jennifer O. Rominiecki

SARASOTA, FL (May 14, 2025) — Marie Selby Botanical Gardens proudly announces the discovery and recent publication of four new plant species in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae revealed through extensive field expeditions and herbarium research in the biodiverse Andean rainforests of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

These remarkable new species are distinguished by an unusual combination of traits: they grow as climbing airplants with flowers emerging from leafless lower stems near the forest floor, while their leafy shoots ascend into the subcanopy. This distinctive growth habit—paired with slanted, tubular flowers borne on clustered, elongated stalks—is rare not only within their plant family but across rainforest ecosystems, where it’s uncommon to see flowering stems without accompanying leaves.

Dr. John L. Clark, a research botanist with Selby Gardens, described all four species as part of his ongoing scientific efforts to document and better understand biodiversity in tropical regions, contributing to Selby Gardens’ broader mission of conserving and researching plant biodiversity.

“This discovery highlights Selby Gardens’ ongoing commitment to plant research and conservation in some of the world’s most biologically rich yet threatened habitats. It not only deepens our understanding of plant diversity in the Andes, but also honors individuals whose dedication to protecting our natural world inspires us all,” said Dr. John L. Clark.

Named in honor of visionary and inspirational leaders dedicated to advancing conservation, science, and education, the new species are Drymonia clavijoae J.L.Clark, sp. nov., D. katzensteiniae J.L.Clark, sp. nov., D. rominieckiae J.L.Clark, sp. nov., and D. silvanae J.L.Clark, sp. nov.

Drymonia rominieckiae was named in honor of Jennifer O. Rominiecki, President & CEO of Selby Gardens, recognizing her visionary leadership and commitment to conservation and scientific advancement.

Rominiecki previously held prominent positions in New York City at The Metropolitan Opera, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the New York Botanical Garden. Since assuming leadership of Selby Gardens in 2015, she has guided the institution through a period of remarkable growth, including the implementation of a three-phase Master Plan for rebuilding, which features the recently established Steinwachs Family Plant Research Center. At a time when many herbaria and collections-based research institutions across the USA and abroad have suffered setbacks, Selby Gardens has flourished under Rominiecki’s leadership, highlighted by the recent inauguration of a new herbarium that plays a vital role in advancing its mission.

Jennifer Rominiecki remarked, “To have a newly discovered species bear my name is a profound honor. It is a testament not only to the beauty and resilience of the natural world, but to the tireless dedication of those who work to study and protect it. I share this recognition with every member of our Botanical Garden family who strives daily to ensure that nature’s wonders endure for generations to come.”

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On April 16^th, 1975, the Osprey Archaeological and Historic Site was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which recognized the significance of this outstanding property. The listing on the National Register was the result of research conducted by local historian Janet Snyder Matthews, working with the Junior League of Sarasota and the Palmer family who still owned the property at the time.

In recognizing this anniversary, Selby Gardens President and CEO Jennifer O. Rominiecki stated “We are proud to be the stewards of this amazing property that preserves so much native nature and Florida history.”

At the request of Gordon Palmer, Drs. Ripley and Adalaide Bullen conducted archaeological research at the site in the early 1960s confirming history going back 4,500 years. This archaeological work helped to support the National Register nomination in addition to Janet Matthews’ research on the historic structures and gardens.

Site features include a 4500-year-old Archaic Shell Ring, and a 2500-year-old Shell Ridge projecting into Little Sarasota Bay.  The Native American history and archaeology is featured in the permanent exhibit A Window to the Past. Other features of the site include the 1901 Guptill House, the 1885 White Cottage, and reproductions of the pioneer boatyard, packing house and chapel.  The campus also features gardens created by Bertha Palmer in 1912.

Following the 1975 National Register listing, the property was donated for use as a historical and natural science museum. Opened to the public in 1982, the site has welcomed thousands of visitors and students to learn about history and nature. In 2020, the property was adopted by Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, resulting in a four-fold increase in attendance and a higher profile in the community.

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Anastasia Sokolow, Sulékó

Fragrance Masterclass Brings “Florida Vibrations: A Parfumeur’s Journey to Create a Wild Florida Fragrance” to Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus

March 5, 2025 | Sarasota, FL.-  Selby Gardens is happy to collaborate with Anastasia Sokolow of Sulékó for an interactive fragrance masterclass that invites guests to vibrantly experience wild Florida in springtime. The event, scheduled for Thursday, March 20, 2025, from 6-8 p.m., will take participants on a journey to uncover the richness and variety of Florida’s habitats and their unique scents. Registration $165 for non- members and $145 for members. Register at selby.org

After a brief introduction to the fascinating geological history of Florida’s formation, guests can follow along as Anastasia explores forests where magnolias and citrus grow wild among old oak trees, across barrier islands, through mangrove tunnels, pristine springs and rivers, pine forests, swamps, and the famous River of Grass. As Anastasia takes you through these unique environments, she will also guide you through the specific ingredients that evoke the scents of Florida’s flora. Anastasia and Selby Gardens staff will reveal how valuable and fragile these treasures are and how important and urgent it has become to preserve their beautiful habitats.

Throughout this interactive presentation, Anastasia will introduce guests to the Sulékó Language of Scents wherein scents and emotions meet. She will describe how she used this language to translate her experience of Florida and create Florida Vibrations Eau de Parfum and its unique bottle. Guests will discover more about Anastasia’s approach to perfume design and how she selects and uses scents to narrate a story and stir emotions. For this class, participants will receive a box which includes materials such as various fragrance notes from the Florida Vibrations Perfume and ingredients that reflect the olfactory facets of natural habitats of Florida.

About Anastasia Sokolow

Anastasia discovered the world of perfume when she joined the Yves Saint Laurent Beauté marketing team in New York.

She then fully immersed herself into this universe, learning about the history of perfume, studying the great masterpieces of French Haute Parfumerie preserved by the Osmothèque Conservatory of Perfume and following high level trainings on scent ingredients and fragrance composition at ISIPCA (the French school of perfumers). She then decided to launch Sulékó, a Perfume House reuniting Perfume and French Artistic Craftsmanship. Her creations were featured in Forbes, FT, Vogue…Anastasia also teaches the Sulékó language of scents through live and online classes. With Sulékó’s masterclasses and Scented Treks, she seeks to unlock and let you explore the world of scents.

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Nominees for the category were submitted by a panel of experts whereby Selby Gardens was selected as one of the final botanical garden nominations from around the country by 10Best editors.

Readers can vote once per category, per day.  Explore and vote here: What is the Best Botanical Garden for 2025? (usatoday.com)

“We are truly excited and honored,” says Jennifer Rominiecki, President and CEO of Selby Gardens. “Being named one of the top botanical gardens in the country is a remarkable accomplishment. I would like to express our sincere thanks to our supporters and everyone who nominated us for this distinction.”

USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company that owns 10Best.com. 10Best.com provides users with original, unbiased, and experiential travel content of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.

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“True leadership in supporting autism and neurodiversity begins with knowledge. Achieving certification through the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards demonstrates a commitment to excellence and the ability to create spaces where everyone can thrive,” remarks Jennifer Rominiecki, President and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. “Our botanical gardens are dedicated to fostering an environment that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. By prioritizing professional training and certification, we aim to ensure our staff is equipped with the tools and understanding needed to create meaningful, enriching experiences for visitors with autism and neurodiverse needs. This commitment underscores our broader mission of inclusivity and innovation, allowing us to be a sanctuary for all who seek a connection with nature.”

“We are proud to award the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens with the Certified Autism Center™ credential, highlighting their efforts to create a space that is inclusive and accessible for every visitor to enjoy,” says Myron Pincomb, IBCCES board chairman. “We look forward to seeing the positive impact this certification will have on every individual that visits the botanical gardens.”

For more than 20 years, IBCCES has been a leader in cognitive disorder training and certification for healthcare, education, and corporate professionals around the globe. IBCCES programs include evidence-based content, as well as the perspectives of autistic individuals, alongside other resources, ongoing support and renewal requirements to ensure there is continued learning and a lasting impact.

IBCCES also manages AutismTravel.com, a free online resource for families that lists certified destinations and resources to plan their leisure experiences. Each destination listed on the site has met the Certified Autism Center (CAC) requirements.

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Scheduled for Wednesday, February 12, 2025

January 21, 2025 | Sarasota, FL. – Global icon and Artist in Residence at Selby Gardens, Patti Smith returns with a special performance at the Downtown Sarasota campus on February 12, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.

The one-hour performance, An Evening with Patti Smith Dedicated to George Harrison, is a celebration of the ninth iteration of the Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series, George Harrison: A Gardener’s Life, on view February 9, 2025, through June 29, 2025, at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus. Advance tickets for the performance will go on sale for Selby Gardens’ Members on Thursday, January 23, 2025. The remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, January 24, 2025. To purchase tickets or to become a member, visit selby.org

This is Smith’s sixth visit to Selby Gardens. Her visits have combined public activities such as readings and performances with private time drawing creative inspiration from the organization’s two bayfront campuses and world-renowned collections. In addition, Smith’s iconic voice can be heard at the Jean Goldstein Welcome Center, where she narrates a visitor orientation video in the Ernie Kretzmer & Family Theater.

Jennifer Rominiecki, President and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens stated, “We are thrilled to have icon Patti Smith perform at Selby Gardens once again. Patti’s artistry possesses a remarkable ability to inspire and unite us all. We are excited to welcome Patti back for this eagerly awaited performance dedicated to George Harrison, which promises to be a captivating experience that leaves a lasting impression.”

Smith’s blossoming relationship with Selby Gardens stems from the Gardens’ 2022 Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition, Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith: Flowers, Poetry, and Light. The show explored Mapplethorpe’s flower photography and Smith’s lyrics and poetry about flowers and nature, in dialogue with original horticultural installations inspired by their art.

Smith first visited Selby Gardens in February 2022 to tour Flowers, Poetry, and Light and perform songs and readings she selected to complement the exhibition. She called the interdisciplinary show “a beguiling exhibition” and said she “was very moved to be asked to be a part of it.” Smith returned in April 2022 for a second live performance, at which the new residency was announced. In November 2023, Smith returned with An Evening with Patti Smith Dedicated to Georgia O’Keeffe, as a prelude to the Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition, Yayoi Kusama: A Letter to Georgia O’Keeffe and for an encore performance in February 2024.

This past November, Smith returned with a special performance, An Evening with Patti Smith and Her Book of Days to commemorate her new exhibition Patti Smith: A Book of Days, which is now on view at the Historic Spanish Point campus through August 31, 2025.

Presenting Sponsor of the Patti Smith Residency: Marianne and William McComb

Presenting Exhibition Sponsor:  

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               Olivia Trinidad Harrison

January 17, 2025 | Sarasota, FL ─ In celebration of the 2025 Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition, George Harrison: A Gardener’s Life, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is pleased to announce The Richard and Ellen Sandor Annual Lecture on Art and Nature featuring a luncheon and conversation with film producer, and the widow of musician George Harrison of The Beatles, Olivia Harrison, and Robin Lane Fox, renowned gardener, author, and historian, on Tuesday, February 11, from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus.

Space is limited. The event includes a plated lunch. Tickets $125. Olivia Harrison will be signing copies of her book, Came the Lightening, which will be available for sale at the luncheon. Tickets available HERE.

Olivia Trinidad Harrison is a film producer, and the widow of musician George Harrison of the Beatles. She first worked in the music industry in Los Angeles, for A&M Records, where she met George and then helped run his Dark Horse record label.

Olivia co-produced the Grammy award winning film of the 2002 Concert For George which she organised in memory of George. Olivia also received an Emmy for Outstanding Nonfiction Special from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2012 for her role as producer on the Martin Scorsese directed documentary: George Harrison: Living in the Material World. Olivia is a producer on the multi award nominated The Beatles: Get Back, as well as the Beatles ’64 directed by David Tedeschi, executive producer Martin Scorsese, currently showing on Disney +.

In late 2005, coinciding with the reissue of the album and film from the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh, Olivia established The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF with an initial focus on programs in Bangladesh. The fund had also assisted children affected by civil conflict, natural disasters or poverty in Afghanistan, Brazil, India, Angola, Romania, the Horn of Africa, Burma and Nepal and Mexico.

Olivia is director of the Material World Foundation, a charity set up by George in 1973, overseeing the Foundation’s ongoing work in encouraging and promoting the exploration of alternate and diverse forms of artistic expression, and philosophies. The Foundation has lent its support to many established charities around the world. Olivia and the Foundation are also partners with Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation to ensure the preservation of film history from across the globe. Restoring such diverse works as Charlie Chaplin’s The Count to Luis Bunuels’ Los Olividados, to the British The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.

Olivia wrote and published her first book of poetry in 2022, Came the Lightening, Twenty Poems for George, a book of twenty poems dedicated to George in the twentieth anniversary of his passing.

Robin Lane Fox

Robin Lane Fox is a renowned gardener, author, and historian. He is currently a Fellow of New College, Oxford, and University Reader in Ancient History. He is the author of numerous award-winning books and was the historical advisor for Oliver Stone’s epic film Alexander. His weekly gardening correspondence column for the Financial Times is the longest running in Britain and is the basis to his 2010 book, Thoughtful Gardening. Thoughtful Gardening is Robin Lane Fox’s first gardening book in 25 years and marks the 40th year of his weekly columns on gardening for the Financial Times. It is based on his own selection from these widely admired pieces, which he has rewritten and amplified with much new material and new chapters to take readers on a varied and highly enjoyable journey through each season of the gardening year.

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This is the first of five monthly “Family Saturdays” coming to Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus, with similar events scheduled for February 22, March 29, April 26, and May 31. Activities will run from 10 a.m. to noon each session, and participation is included in admission to the Gardens, which is always free for Selby Gardens members.

“Selby Gardens is a special place where generations can come together to enjoy the outdoors,” said Jennifer Rominiecki, President and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. “We love hosting Family Saturdays because they inspire children to connect art with nature and give visitors yet another reason to return to our Downtown Sarasota campus.”

Several activity stations with different art projects will be set up in the Ann Goldstein Children’s Rainforest Garden during each monthly event. Elementary school age children will have the opportunity to create their own nature-inspired art with a variety of materials.

Admission to Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus is $28 for adults, $12 for ages 5 to 17, and free for children 4 and under. Tickets may be purchased online in advance at selby.org. Selby Gardens members always receive complimentary admission as well as discounts for guests.

Family Saturdays are part of the Ann Winslow Donelly and Norbert P. Donelly Family and Community Engagement Series and is sponsored by Beverly Koski and the Koski Family Foundation.

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