Patti Smith, artist-in-residence at Selby Botanical Gardens, returns for special performance

Patti Smith, the first artist-in-residence at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, will give a special performance at the Downtown Sarasota campus on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.

The one-hour performance, “An Evening with Patti Smith Dedicated to Georgia O’Keeffe,” is a prelude to Selby Gardens’ upcoming Goldstein Exhibition, "Yayoi Kusama: A Letter to Georgia O’Keeffe." Tickets sales are underway at selby.org.

“It is an honor for Selby Gardens to have Patti Smith as our very first artist-in-residence," Selby Gardens president and CEO Jennifer Rominiecki said. "Patti’s revolutionary mergence of artistic mediums resonates with our organization on many levels as we continue to develop interdisciplinary programming.”

The visit will be Smith’s third to Selby Gardens – with an additional performance planned in 2024. 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.

Smith’s 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 and Mapplethorpe developed a personal and artistic relationship starting in the 1970s in New York – a bond that formed an incubator for each of their careers. In 1975, Smith released her first album, "Horses," merging poetry with punk rock. She released "Easter" in 1978 with the hit "Because The Night" (co-written with Bruce Springsteen), catapulting her career and leading to her international renown as the Godmother of Punk.

Smith's books include "Just Kids," written in 2010 in memory of her relationship with Mapplethorpe, "Babel," "Woolgathering," "The Coral Sea" and "Auguries of Innocence." "Just Kids" won the National Book Award.

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.

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

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a Smithsonian Affiliate and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. For more information visit selby.org.

Submitted by Nancy Seijas-Kipnis with staff report

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Patti Smith, 'Godmother of Punk,' returns to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens