Best in Show: “The Bishop,” by Patricia Nebel
The 42nd Annual Juried Photographic Exhibition is now on view.
The show includes more than 270 photographs taken by amateur photographers at our two campuses and selected for display by an expert panel of jurors. The jury awarded prizes to top photographs in the exhibition, with Best in Show going to Patricia Nebel for her stunning black-and-white photo of an orchid that she titled The Bishop. The virtual exhibition will remain on view until September 25.
“At 42 years running, Selby Gardens’ Annual Juried Photographic Exhibition is a tradition that’s nearly as old as our institution itself,” said President and CEO Jennifer O. Rominiecki. “We are so grateful that almost 200 exceptionally talented artists chose to share their vision of the beauty of our two bayfront sanctuaries through their entries. This virtual exhibition provides an exhilarating, inspiring journey through the diverse nature and living art to be observed and experienced at Selby Gardens.”
In addition to Best in Show, first-place awards in each of the five exhibition categories went to the following entries:
- The Living Museum®: Japan, by Laurel Maul
- Bayfront Sanctuary: Perspective, by Aleksandra Djilas
- Plant Life at Selby Gardens: Frilly Folds, by Kathleen Cone
- Birds, Bugs, and Critters, Oh My: Flashing Heron, by Susan Beausang
- Selby Gardens in Black and White: Bayside Swirl, by Edda Post
First Place – Bayfront Sanctuary: “Perspective,” by Aleksandra Djilas
Second- and third-place awards also were given in each category, and two honorable mentions were recognized.
Selby Gardens received nearly 300 submissions to this year’s juried exhibition. Entrants could submit up to three individual photos, which had to be taken within the past two years at either the Downtown Sarasota or Historic Spanish Point campus. All submissions then were reviewed by a panel of volunteer jurors with expertise in photography, art, and curation. The jury included:
- Olivia Marie Braida-Chiusano, artist and head of Selby Gardens’ botanical illustration program
- Radiah Harper, Guest Curator for Selby Gardens’ 2021 exhibition We Dream a World: African American Landscape Painters of Mid-Century Florida, The Highwaymen
- Christopher Jones, Stanton B. and Nancy W. Kaplan Curator of Photography and Media Art at The Ringling
- Keith Monda, philanthropist
- John Pirman, artist and illustrator
- Cliff Roles, professional photographer
“I have to thank our jurors for their time, care, and enthusiasm in evaluating nearly 300 photographs each for this show,” said Rominiecki. “Our museum and exhibitions team supplied a rigorous rubric for the review process, and the jurors provided the attention and scrutiny that these high-quality entries deserved. Our judges were impressed by the talented photographers in our community, and we are delighted to share a diverse array of scenic moments from our two campuses in the resulting exhibition.”
For the third year in a row, the photo show is presented in partnership with the Observer Media Group.