Downtown Sarasota feels electric right now. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is marking a big milestone as it celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition. And this year, they’re taking things up a notch with Alexander Calder: The Nature of Movement. Calder, famous for his mobiles that seem to float against gravity, provides the perfect inspiration.
Jennifer Rominiecki, Selby’s CEO, explains it best: “We’re a leading center for air plant research, and our team noticed a real connection between Calder’s mobiles and our living collection.”
Step inside the conservatory and that connection hits you right away. Selby’s signature air plants hang in the air, arranged to play with balance and motion, just like Calder’s art. The team didn’t just mimic the look; they showed off how these plants naturally hang and thrive, floating in space.
It’s not just inside, either. Walk through the gardens and you’ll spot bold, large-scale installations scattered throughout. Each one channels Calder’s love for shape, movement, and kinetic design. In the Richard and Ellen Sandor Museum of Botany & the Arts, you can see actual pieces by Calder, bringing the artist’s vision full circle with Selby’s living displays.
What’s really special here? The staff call it a rare chance to see Calder through a whole new lens; outdoors, surrounded by living plants, right in Sarasota. There’s a local angle too. Rominiecki points to Calder’s fascination with the circus, especially the legendary Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. Calder studied their energy and motion, drawing influence for his own kinetic art.
Above all, the exhibition explores how movement isn’t just an artistic concept; it’s a fact of life, running through nature itself. Calder knew this, and Selby Gardens lets visitors feel it in every drifting leaf and turning mobile. The result is a fresh experience that welcomes art lovers, plant enthusiasts, and curious newcomers of every age.
1534 Mound Street, Sarasota, FLFor more information go to selby.org.
