Marie Selby Botanical Gardens celebrates half a century of horticultural appreciation and innovation this year with The Orchid Show 2023: A 50th Anniversary Celebration, a campus-wide exhibition dedicated both to the beauty of orchids and to the role that Selby Gardens has played in their continued scientific study.

Since 1973, Sarasota’s “Living Museum” has become home to more than 3,500 orchids representing more than 1,100 species, with an herbarium holding 40,000 pressed specimens, a spirit collection preserving tens of thousands more and a research library boasting rare books and botanical prints. And with the Orchid Show, a bit of everything will be up for viewing. “Selby Gardens is known internationally for having the world’s best scientifically documented collection of orchids,” says Selby Gardens President and CEO Jennifer Rominiecki, “so what better way to kick off this milestone, than to really showcase what we’re so renowned for.”

The adventure begins in the Tropical Conservatory, where the botanical artists of Selby Gardens have transformed the space into a lush and green paean to the orchid’s beauty and to the strange resilience of plants that grow from the rocks or seemingly from nothing at all. Orchids of all sorts populate geometric displays and canvases of cork—lightweight, sustainable and textured like tree branches—and some even sit in custom-made 3D-printed pots with the Selby Gardens logo cut into the side so the root structure is on view. But the real showstoppers are the delicate orchids growing from what appear to be rocks floating over an indoor pond, defying expectations just like the plants themselves.

Achieving that effect is the result of 50 years learning how to care for and show orchids, says Angel Lara, vice president for botanical horticulture. His colleague, Nathan Burnaman, associate director of horticultural exhibits, agrees. “It’s celebrating orchids, celebrating how we know orchids, and celebrating Selby Gardens,” he says, noting that the rock wall of the Conservatory itself is made of the very same volcanic rock.

The celebration continues in the Museum of Botany & Art in the Payne Mansion, where the first floor plays host to a wide collection of artifacts, photographs, prints and more, sketching in brief the orchid’s story of scientific discovery—and how Selby Gardens fits into that history. Archival photos of the Gardens’ founding and of Marie Selby herself are on display, as are historical texts from the likes of Charles Darwin. Photos of Selby volunteers dot the walls, as do high-definition photographs of the orchids they helped discover, next to botanical prints of old. “Our team has inherited that tradition and learned from that tradition,” says Chief Museum Curator Dave Berry. “And now is continuing to add to it.”

To further commemorate its 50th anniversary, Selby Gardens has also commissioned a special art book, simply titled Orchid, which will be unveiled with the exhibition. In its 240 pages, the volume contains approximately 150 large-scale, high-definition photographs, as well as an introductory essay and additional text from Selby Gardens experts.

Opening this Saturday at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, The Orchid Show 2023 runs from October 7 to November 26. 

Pictured: Lithophytic orchids grow on "floating" rocks in The Orchid Show 2023 at Selby Gardens. Photo by Phil Lederer.

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In the case of Italian Baroque master Guercino and The Ringling Museum of Art, a painting may be worth even more. In The Ringling’s latest exhibit, Guercino’s Friar with a Gold Earring: Fra Bonaventura Bisi, Painter and Art Dealer, which opens October 14, one painting is a looking glass into an entire era of art–the Italian Baroque period.

“This exhibition focuses on a portrait we purchased in 2015 by Guercino, the 17th century Bologense painter. He painted this Franciscan Friar, Fra Bonaventura Bisi and the friar is a fascinating figure because he was connected to many different artists, artmaking and art collecting in the first half of the 17th century,” says Sarah Cartwright, The Ringling’s Ulla R. Searing Curator of Collections. “An artist himself, he was also an art dealer for important clients, particularly in the realm of drawings in a time where the appreciation of drawings as an autonomous art form was still in its infancy.”

The exhibition uses Geurcino’s portrait of the friar as a gateway into the world Bisi operated in. The connections Bisi had were immense: from fellow religious leaders to painters and artists to intellectuals, Bisi was a critical figure in the Italian Baroque period. “Through the exhibition, we can learn that there was a lot behind this unassuming man in religious robes. He did a lot of other things in addition to his religious duties, he was a mover and a shaker in his society,” says Cartwright. “That's a surprise in itself that people might not realize–that a religious figure was connected to this commercial world of art dealing and all of his proceeds from art dealing went to the Church.”

The exhibition is composed of pieces of the period, from the oil paintings, drawings, prints and metalwork that Bisi had his hands on to the miniature tempera paintings on parchment that the friar made himself. Also featured are writings and illustrations from Bisi’s contemporaries that tell of Bisi’s influence on the art world. While the exhibition may be inspired by just one portrait, it takes a much larger collection of art and literature to paint the entire picture of Fra Bonaventura Bisi.

The Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota. 

Pictured: Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri; Italian, 1591-1666), Fra Bonaventura Bisi, oil on canvas, 94 x 76.5 cm. Museum purchase, 2015, SN11531. Courtesy of The Ringling Museum of Art.

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The Sarasota Players opens Winter Flowers, the second play in the new Sidebar Series. This intriguing drama directed by Jalex Scott runs Oct. 20 through 29 in the Players Studio Black Box (1400 Blvd. of the Arts, Suite 200, Sarasota, FL 34236.) Shows in the Sidebar Series were specifically selected by Artistic Director Steven Butler to explore the human condition. Synopsis: For most of her life, Delphie has been taking care of her adult younger sister Rosie, who has the mental ability of a five-year-old. Delphie, now dying of stomach cancer, must provide for her sister’s future, and had decided to place them both in a nursing home. However, Rosie refuses to leave their family home, forcing Delphie to make a new plan. Warnings: Deals with gripping social issues and death

Oct. 20-21 and 27-28 at 7:30pm, Oct. 22 and 29 at 2pm, 1400 Blvd. of the Arts, Sarasota. 

Pictured: Delphi played by Jill Schroeder and Rosie, played by Meredith Templeton. Photo courtesy of The Sarasota Players.

Recently returned from directing the UK premiere of Alan Brody's Operation Epsilon, Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg has dedicated his career to championing new work. As a director, playwright, screenwriter, producer, and arts administrator he has created and shepherded dozens of works from their earliest stages of development to their opening nights and beyond. Hear about his most recent experiences exploring true historical events on stage in London, as well as other insights into the complicated and exciting process of realizing a new work of theater as the sun sets at beautiful Selby Gardens. 

The Stage at Payne Park LLC (The Stage), a wholly-owned subsidiary nonprofit organization of The Players, Inc. with a mission to remodel and operate the existing Payne Park auditorium for its new home, recently hired Michael Ayres as its executive director and vice president of advancement. With more than 18 years of experience as a skilled fundraiser, grant writer, communicator, team builder, event manager and community liaison, Ayres joins The Stage with extensive experience in a donor-driven environment. His robust career showcases his proven ability to execute complex projects, analyze opportunities for collaboration and strengthen internal and external partnerships to help meet the mission of an organization. Most recently, Ayres was the director of development services for Visible Men Academy in Manatee County. During his time there, he was tasked with donor cultivation, fundraising, stewardship, grant writing and administration, special event management and administrative operations. Ayres also served as liaison for the organization’s executive board. Prior to that, Ayres acted as the corporate development and special events officer for Sarasota Opera. During his four-year tenure, he managed the design, planning and execution of exceptional donor stewardship and cultivation events, managed high-profile public facing events, including galas and festivals, and was charged with the simultaneous cultivation and solicitation of corporate and foundation gifts, grants and sponsorships, among other duties. In his new role as executive director and vice president of advancement, Ayres will champion the capital campaign to develop The Stage. He will work directly with the chief executive officer and chief financial officer to effectively build community relations with donors, foundations, media and other performing arts organizations within the community, as well as promote The Stage’s fundraising initiative, among other tasks. Ayres holds a master’s degree in instructional technology from the University of South Florida in Tampa and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary social sciences with a public administration concentration from the University of South Florida in Sarasota-Manatee. 

Do you know a board member, volunteer, philanthropist, staff member, or a corporate organization with a giving heart that has meaningfully impacted our community in the past year? Nominate them today! Nominations close TONIGHT at midnight. 

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