An Evening with Patti Smith Dedicated to George Harrison
February 12, 2025
Selby Gardens Artist in Residence Patti Smith returned to our Downtown Sarasota campus to celebrate the 2025 Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition George Harrison: A Gardener’s Life.
An Evening with Patti Smith and Her Book of Days
November 14, 2024
Selby Gardens Artist in Residence Patti Smith performed at our Historic Spanish Point campus to celebrate the opening of her exhibition Patti Smith: A Book of Days.
Patti Smith: A Book of Days
November 9, 2024 – August 31, 2025
Selby Gardens collaborated with Artist-in-Residence Patti Smith on this exhibition at the Historic Spanish Point campus. The exhibition featured a selection of photographs taken by the famed poet and musician that offers an intimate view of her life on and off the road. The photographs were taken from Smith’s recently published, New York Times bestselling publication, A Book of Days. Inspired by the popularity of her Instagram account, where she began posting photographs back in 2018, this beautiful book offers a window into her world and illustrates her unique aesthetic. The exhibition at Selby Gardens featured large prints of Smith’s photographs outdoors, bringing them into dialogue with nature, which has long been a source of inspiration for the legendary artist. Her compelling images take visitors on a journey through time and space, charting both the course of a year and the natural environment of the Historic Spanish Point campus. Learn more.
An Encore with Patti Smith Dedicated to George O’Keeffe
February 15, 2024
Selby Gardens Artist in Residence Patti Smith returned to our Downtown Sarasota campus to celebrate the 2024 Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Yayoi Kusama: A Letter to Georgia O’Keeffe.
About the Patti Smith Residency
Writer, performer, and visual artist Patti Smith has been named Selby Gardens’ inaugural Artist in Residence.
Smith’s artistic residency included two return visits to Selby Gardens—one on November 15, 2023 and one on February 15, 2024—during which she combined public activities such as readings and performances with private time drawing creative inspiration from our two bayfront campuses and our world-renowned collections.
The announcement was made April 28, 2022, at a live performance by Smith at the Downtown Sarasota campus. The event was an encore to her February 2022 visit and performance in celebration of the 2022 Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition, Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith: Flowers, Poetry, and Light.
“Patti Smith is recognized worldwide for her revolutionary mergence of artistic disciplines—especially poetry and rock,” said Jennifer Rominiecki, President & CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, announcing the residency. “All of us at Selby Gardens are deeply honored that she has accepted our invitation to be our very first Artist in Residence. Selby Gardens applies interdisciplinary practice to our ongoing exhibition program, and we feel that Patti’s visionary methodology resonates with our organization on many levels.”
After Smith first visited in February and toured “Flowers, Poetry, and Light,” she called the interdisciplinary show “a beguiling exhibition” and said she “was very moved to be asked to be a part of it.” Her February performance included songs and readings she selected to complement the exhibition.
Smith is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, National Book Award-winning author, and fine artist. She has produced a body of work whose influence branches out through generations, across disciplines, and around the world.
Media coverage of Patti Smith at Selby Gardens:
Photos: An Evening with Patti Smith – Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Watch: Patti Smith performs ‘My Blakean Year’ at Selby Gardens – Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Patti Smith Fondly Walks Down Memory Lane – Sarasota Observer
Singer-Songwriter-Author Patti Smith Performs at Selby Gardens – Sarasota Magazine
Patti Smith on Gardening, Donuts, and Creating Out of Chaos – TOWN & COUNTRY
Presenting Sponsor of the Patti Smith Residency: