Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has opened “The Orchid Show 2026: Christian Sampson,” and it’s the rare exhibit that’s both a botanical showcase and an art installation. Sampson, a Bradenton native and Ringling College of Art and Design graduate now based in Los Angeles, spent roughly two years working with the Selby team on the project. The result uses dichroic film to cast prismatic color across the Tropical Conservatory, the museum and the outdoor gardens.
It’s also a homecoming story. Sampson grew up on the Suncoast, trained at Ringling, and built a career on the West Coast before returning to Sarasota for this collaboration. In his words, the finished show feels like walking into a dream.
Beyond the visuals, the exhibit shines a light on what Selby calls the world’s finest scientifically documented orchid collection. Every fall, the gardens build a major show around that collection to give locals and returning visitors something new to experience. This year, they handed the creative reins to one of our own.
Planning a visit? Weekday mornings tend to be quieter, and the light installation shifts throughout the day, so there’s no bad time to walk through. Have you seen the show yet, and what did you think?
