The Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship, awarded in honor of and in partnership with Selby Gardens President and CEO Jennifer O. Rominiecki as the scholarship’s first mentor, is a merit-based scholarship aimed at recognizing and encouraging female students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievements and leadership qualities. The scholarship includes a $15,000 award provided by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Through this program, the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens seek to contribute to the development of future leaders and professionals who will make meaningful contributions to the non-profit sector and our community. The scholarship will provide a pathway for successful female leadership in the business and nonprofit world by providing mentorship, opportunities to observe leadership in action, and financial support to high-achieving juniors or seniors pursuing bachelor’s degrees and holding a minimum GPA of 3.5.

“The Viginia B. Toulmin Foundation envisions a world in which all people have equal opportunity to fulfill their potential and succeed in life,” states William S. Villafranco, Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Trustee. “Through Virginia’s legacy, we hope to provide a pathway to inspire and support the dreams of young women today. This scholarship exemplifies the Toulmin Foundation’s unwavering commitment to fostering education and supporting outstanding individuals in their pursuit of academic excellence. We congratulate Zuleima Martinez on this tremendous accomplishment.”

Martinez was identified by a scholarship selection committee comprised of several Selby Gardens’ Trustees and major supporters.  She emerged as the leading choice of three finalists selected from a pool of 17 highly qualified applicants. The criteria was based on outstanding academic records, leadership, and a demonstrated commitment to positive community impact.  The 17 candidates represented New College of Florida, Ringling College of Art and Design, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, and State College of Florida.

Since the age of 8 years old to present, Martinez has been actively involved with Girls Inc. in Sarasota, a non-profit organization assuring high-impact services for a growing number of girls and advocating on behalf of girls to deliver life-changing programs and experiences. Martinez was a recipient of the organization’s services and now works at Girls Inc. as a program success coordinator. It is the Girls Inc. invocation, “inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold,” which Martinez states she lives by.

Martinez was introduced to the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation during high school when she was presented with the opportunity to film a video about her experience at Girls Inc., “Dreams of my Daughter.” She states, “It was an amazing experience. The girls I facilitate today now look up to me as a role model. I was and still am thankful for that opportunity that the Toulmin Foundation gave my mom and I to share our story.”

Martinez continues, “I grew fond of Mrs. Toulmin for her acts of service to our community and for her initiative towards students and girls like me. I knew that I wanted to be involved in the nonprofit community and getting to know Mrs. Toulmin made me realize that I want to do it and can do it. Knowing what a significant impact Mrs. Toulmin and her legacy had inspired me to follow in her footsteps. I want to make an impact on families’ lives, I want them to have a story to tell, I want mothers to be able to say the dreams of their daughters came true. And in return, my mom will be able to say it herself…The dreams of my daughter came true.”

Martinez remarked, “Life is not fair, life is unpredictable, life is hard, but life is also beautiful, life is exciting, and life is worth it. You can overcome any obstacle and be better than you were yesterday through hard work and determination. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity. I know I will learn so much alongside Ms. Rominiecki and I could not be more excited to get to work with such an amazing and inspiring woman.”

Selby Gardens President and CEO Jennifer Rominiecki stated, “Zuleima is a truly exceptional young woman that emulates the ideals of the Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship. She is extremely inspiring and exudes high scholastic aptitude, as well as outstanding leadership qualities. Mentorship is critical to professional and personal development, and I am delighted to welcome Zuleima to Selby Gardens for this new initiative.”

In addition to receiving mentoring sessions from Rominiecki, Martinez will be appointed to Selby Gardens’ Advisory Committee to observe Rominiecki in action — participating with local community, scientific and business leaders — and also receive a one-year membership to Selby Gardens.

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Since Kipnis’s arrival in this executive leadership role, her priorities have included implementing strategies for the future expansion of Selby Gardens, which encompass a three-phase Master Plan for its Downtown Sarasota campus. Kipnis led the marketing and communications strategies for Selby Gardens’ Phase One January inauguration, a $52 million expansion that will make Selby Gardens the first net-positive energy botanical complex in the world, creating more energy than it uses.

With more than two decades of experience as a leader of communications, marketing, and public affairs, Ms. Kipnis emerged as the top choice from an impressive pool of prospects. Kipnis’s experience spans a diversity of industries, including arts and culture, government, urban revitalization, culinary arts, and lifestyle brands.

Kipnis also brings years of museum and exhibition experience to Selby Gardens’ Museum of Botany & the Arts, which highlights nature-related art exhibits that are part of its Living Museum® model. Past exhibits have focused on artists such as Andy Warhol, Marc Chagall, and artist in residence Patti Smith. Currently under Kipnis’s purview is, Yayoi Kusama: A Letter to Georgia O’Keeffe.

“Nancy brings tremendous energy to our team, and her insight and knowledge is inspirational—especially in strengthening and directing Selby Gardens global positioning as one of the world’s preeminent botanical research and garden complexes,” said Jennifer Rominiecki, President, and CEO of Selby Gardens. “Nancy is a masterful marketer and publicist, earning frequent placements with The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, and Vogue, among other national and international outlets. In addition to her exceptional leadership skills, at the core of her qualifications is a passion for mission-driven organizations, like Selby Gardens, and the ability to convey strategic communications messages to target audiences through creative influence. Her work speaks for itself.”

Kipnis, who is no stranger to brick-and-mortar projects, was part of the leadership team that opened the Stanley Saitowitz designed Tampa Museum of Art (2009) where she worked for more than a decade. She has also worked with countless public and private entities that have contributed to the urban revitalization of Downtown Tampa and the enrichment of the Tampa Bay region.

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Sarasota, FL. | March 13, 2024 – Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has placed third in the USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards contest for “Best Botanical Garden” in the United States. Nominees for the award were chosen by a panel of relevant experts which include a combination of editors from USA TODAY and editors from 10Best.com. Selby Gardens was one of twenty gardens selected for the Best Botanical Gardens Category. Voting by the public narrowed the list down to the top final ten. Voting began February 5th and closed March 4th.

“We want to thank the Sarasota community and supporters of Selby Gardens for voting for us! Thanks to you, Selby Gardens is receiving national recognition, and we can continue to broadly showcase our mission of providing Bayfront sanctuaries connecting people with air plants of the world, native nature, and our regional history,” states President and CEO Jennifer Rominiecki.

About USA Today

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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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 2024? (usatoday.com)

“We couldn’t be more excited and prouder,” says Jennifer Rominiecki, president and CEO of Selby Gardens. “To be selected and recognized as one of the top botanical gardens in the nation is a true honor.  I must thank our supporters and those who nominated us in this competition.”

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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The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation envisions a world in which all people have equal opportunity to fulfill their potential and succeed in life. The Foundation reflects the legacy of its namesake, the late Sarasota-area philanthropist who made a lasting impact on numerous entities and charitable endeavors.

Selby Gardens is now a prominent part of the list thanks to the creation of the Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship. The scholarship will provide a pathway for successful female leadership in the business and nonprofit world by providing mentorship, opportunities to observe leadership in action, and financial support to high-achieving juniors or seniors pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Sarasota, Manatee or Charlotte counties and holding a minimum GPA of 3.5.

In addition, the scholarship will be awarded in honor and partnership with a local female leader in the Sarasota community – and that inaugural distinction has been bestowed on Selby Gardens President and CEO Jennifer Rominiecki, who will serve as the scholarship’s first mentor.

“Mentorship is vital to the success of future leaders. I am honored to be the inaugural mentor for the Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship and to be presented with the opportunity to guide, motivate, and inspire, women seeking careers in the business and non-profit sector,” said President and CEO of Selby Gardens, Jennifer O. Rominiecki.

The scholarship will be managed by Selby Gardens with an initial gift of $25,000. The application, developed by Selby Gardens, includes an opportunity for applicants to share their connection with the mission of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

“Through Virginia’s legacy, we invest in causes that she – and we – believe in and most importantly trust in,” said lead Toulmin Trustee William S. Villafranco. “Selby Gardens is one of those causes.”  Villafranco paints a vivid picture of Toulmin. “Virginia was a strong woman of few words but what she did speak of was honesty and integrity,” he said. “During one of our initial meetings, I will never forget something she shared with me – four elements of trust that are important both individually and collectively: competency, consistency, integrity and compassion. We see those four elements exemplified by Jennifer and her work and could not imagine a better inaugural role model.”

The application deadline is March 24, with three finalists selected in April and the scholarship awarded in May (applied to the 2024-25 academic year).

The 2024-25 scholarship recipient will have a chance to be appointed to Selby Gardens’ Advisory Committee to observe Rominiecki in action, participate with local community, scientific and business leaders, and receive a one-year membership to Selby Gardens.

To apply to the Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship click here.

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January 23, 2024 | Sarasota, FL. – Visitors to the popular Garden Shop at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus will see a familiar and respected name emblazoned at the entry to the tropical plant-filled outdoor portion of the store located in Phase One of the Master Plan’s new Living Energy Access Facility (LEAF), which opened to the public on January 11, 2024.

Selby Gardens and longtime partner Better-Gro® have reimagined the shop’s outdoor area as the “Better-Gro® Boutique.” The concept, which features plants and accessories provided by Better-Gro®, recognizes the third-generation local business’ significant and long-running contributions to the success of Selby Gardens’ horticultural shows and the organization as a whole. The shop is a key element in the first net-positive energy botanical garden complex in the world and will be powered by solar energy.

“Better-Gro® products and the Hollingsworth family have been integral to the success of our major exhibitions, our popular retail operation, and Selby Gardens as a renowned institution,” said Jennifer  Rominiecki, President & CEO of Selby Gardens. “We are so pleased to commemorate this vital partnership in our new Garden Shop, which we know will be a visitor favorite.”

As a key plant supplier for Selby Gardens’ annual Orchid Show and Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition, Arcadia-based Better-Gro® provides quality plants to enhance the Gardens’ living collections for its two largest annual exhibitions. The company is also a significant wholesale provider of orchids and other tropical plants sold in the new Better-Gro® Boutique Garden Shop, along with growing supplies including potting media, plant foods, baskets, containers and accessories.

“Selby Gardens is known for having the largest epiphytic plant collection in the world. Their botanical collection, plant knowledge and historical preservation efforts are extraordinary. We are so fortunate to have these historic gardens right here in Sarasota, Florida,” said Rod Hollingsworth, President & CEO of Sun Bulb Company, the parent brand of Better-Gro®. “My family has been involved with the Gardens over the past six decades through volunteerism, contributions, and leadership. It’s a very special place, and we’re excited to see the Gardens enter their next phase of transformation under the vision and guidance of Jennifer Rominiecki and team. We look forward to continuing to supply our tropical plants and gardening products to this great organization.”

While renaming the Garden Shop’s outdoor plant boutique speaks to the current partnership between Selby Gardens and Better-Gro®, the close relationship between the two organizations goes back decades and three generations. The founder of Sun Bulb Company, A.P. Hollingsworth, and Selby Gardens co-founder Dr. Carlyle “Carl” Luer had a long-standing friendship and mutual love of botany and the Gardens as you see them today. The relationship with Selby Gardens continued to blossom when A.P.’s son, Tom, served on the board of directors in the early 2000’s. Today, grandson Rod Hollingsworth, continues that tradition of volunteerism and support by serving on the Selby Gardens advisory committee.

About Better-Gro® and Sun Bulb Company

Founded in 1956, Sun Bulb Company produces an array of tropical plants and garden products designed for the home gardener under the Better-Gro®, Dynamite® Plant Food, Scheurich Pottery and Kokodama brands. Better-Gro® currently distributes products nationwide through major home centers, mass merchandisers and independent garden centers. The company operates a collection of greenhouses in Arcadia and Mt. Dora, Fla., where live plants are grown and cultivated. For more information about Sun Bulb and Better-Gro® visit www.Better-Gro.com.

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“An Encore with Patti Smith Dedicated to Georgia O’Keeffe”

Scheduled for February 15, 2024

January 3, 2024 | Sarasota, FL. – Global icon and Artist in Residence at Selby Gardens, Patti Smith returns with a special encore performance at the Downtown Sarasota campus on February 15, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.

The one-hour performance, An Encore with Patti Smith Dedicated to Georgia O’Keeffe, commemorates Selby Gardens’ eighth iteration of the 2024 Jean and Alfred Goldstein Exhibition, Yayoi Kusama: A Letter to Georgia O’Keeffe, on view February 11 through June 30, 2024.

Advance tickets for Selby Gardens Members will go on sale Thursday, January 18. The remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, January 19, and can be purchased at selby.org

This is Smith’s fourth 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 will also be heard at the soon-to-open Welcome Center, a key element of Selby Gardens’ Master Plan, where she narrates a visitor orientation video in the new Theater. Phase One of Selby Gardens’ transformational downtown campus opens to the public on January 11, 2024.

Jennifer Rominiecki, president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens stated, “We are honored to have Artist in Residence Patti Smith return to Selby Gardens for a fourth visit. Her performances have been inspiring, magical, and in demand. This is a testament to the profound and vivid artistry Patti’s performances bring to Selby Gardens, which resonates with our organization on many levels as we continue to develop interdisciplinary programming.”

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 of 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.

Smith’s visits and performances to date have been sponsored by Selby Gardens Trustee Marianne McComb and her husband, William.

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December 20, 2023 | Sarasota, FL – The popular Rainforest Masks of Costa Rica exhibition will return to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus from January 6 to 21, 2024.

Highlighting the traditional art of the Indigenous Boruca tribe of the Costa Rican rainforest, the show will feature hundreds of colorful masks on display in the Museum of Botany & the Arts and available for purchase by visitors. A limited-capacity preview on January 5 will give ticketholders the first opportunity to view and purchase the artworks in the 2024 exhibition.

“We are delighted to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of Rainforest Masks at Selby Gardens,” said Jennifer Rominiecki, president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.  “The brilliant masks exhibited annually are highly anticipated and sought after, and we are thrilled to showcase the beautiful works created by the Boruca Tribe.”

The much-anticipated annual Rainforest Masks show is a collaboration between Selby Gardens and Lucuma Designs, a Sarasota-based wholesale fair-trade partner that represents artists and artist cooperatives in Costa Rica and Peru. The exhibition will run from Saturday, January 6, through Sunday, January 21. Access is included with general admission to Selby Gardens. A special ticketed preview event will take place on Friday, January 5, during which ticketholders will have the chance to see and purchase their favorite masks before the show opens to the public. Tickets for this limited-access preview will be available for purchase on the Selby Gardens website at selby.org starting on December 19. Please note that purchased masks will remain on display for the duration of the exhibition and can be claimed on designated pick-up days in late January.

The cultural practice of mask-making honors the heritage of the Borucan people and reflects the strong connection they maintain with the natural environment in their remote, mountainous area of southwestern Costa Rica. The Boruca tribe tells the story that its ancestors fended off Spanish colonizers in the 1500s by wearing traditional warrior masks decorated to represent animal and nature spirits, which scared away the conquistadors, enabling the tribe to keep its village and identity intact. Today, many of the villagers continue the tradition of making hand-carved and painted masks, with a growing focus on environmental sustainability in their work.

This year’s exhibition will highlight the history and tradition of Borucan mask-making, as well as celebrate the 20^th anniversary of displaying masks at Selby Gardens. Since it was first launched in 2004, this popular annual event at Selby Gardens has brought the beauty of a unique artform to a wider audience, while also empowering the artists to earn income from mask sales that helps support their village and their growing conservation efforts.  Proceeds from mask sales support the Borucan village and also benefit Selby Gardens’ education, research, horticulture, and scientific work.

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This year’s exhibition will again be conducted virtually, with digital photos entered through an online portal and all accepted submissions displayed in an online gallery for the duration of the show. The open call for submissions will run from August 7 through 14.

“Our Annual Juried Photo Exhibition is a long-running celebration of our bayfront sanctuaries and the joy and inspiration they provide to visitors,” said Jennifer O. Rominiecki, president and CEO of Selby Gardens. “We love seeing the beautiful scenes and wonderful details of our Downtown Sarasota and Historic Spanish Point campuses through the artistic eyes of our members and other guests. The photos they submit never cease to surprise and delight us.”

Photographs that are entered for consideration for the show must have been taken at or of either Selby Gardens campus—Downtown Sarasota or Historic Spanish Point—within the past year. The five entry categories for 2023 will be:

• Living Art – Express your creativity and artfully interpret nature through the play of light, color, and composition.
• Make a Splash – Showcase the scenic beauty of the aquatic environments at Selby Gardens’ two bayfront campuses.
• Plant Portraits – Capture the character of the plants that are the real stars of the show at Selby Gardens.
• The Birds and the Bees – Highlight the wonderful wildlife at the Downtown Sarasota and Historic Spanish Point campuses.
• Black and White – Convey the beauty of nature at Selby Gardens through the elegance of black-and-white photography.

“We encourage our visitors to start looking through their photos now, or to plan a visit this summer to capture new ones, so that they can participate in this show,” said Rominiecki. “With so much color blooming in the Gardens, it’s a great time to make some stunning photos.”

Complete rules and requirements will be available later this summer on the photo submission portal, which will be accessible via selby.org. Entry fees will remain unchanged from 2022: Selby Gardens members – $30 for first entry, $10 for each additional (up to three entries total); non-Members – $45 for first entry, $15 for each additional (up to three entries total). Selby Gardens’ 2023 Juried Photographic Exhibition is presented in partnership with Observer Media Group.

Last year’s photo exhibition garnered nearly 300 entries. “Best in Show” was awarded to Patricia Nebel for her black-and-white image titled The Bishop.

2022 Best in Show: “The Bishop,” by Patricia Nebel

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