County to honor four historical Sarasota women in new exhibit

Sarasota County will host a new exhibit for the public called “Shaping Sarasota: Four Memorable Women” starting Friday.

According to a county release, the exhibit was designed to honor and examine the “growth of Sarasota and the impacts Nettie Keith, Bertha Palmer, Mable Ringling and Marie Selby had on Sarasota.”

"These women greatly influenced the direction of life in the early Sarasota community," Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Program Coordinator Priscilla Brown said. "Their legacies can be seen today throughout the county today at well-known landmarks including Phillippi Estate Park, Historic Spanish Point, Ringling Museum and Selby Gardens."

The exhibit will open for free at Phillippi Estate Park June 7. Reservations will be required for admission and viewing hours will be between the hours of noon and 4 p.m.

The exhibit will then travel to the following eight county libraries after July 6:

• August: Osprey Library at Historic Spanish Point, 337 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey.
• September: Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave., Sarasota.
• October: Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library, 4143 Woodmere Park Blvd., Venice.
• November: William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Public Library, 300 Nokomis Ave. S., Venice.
• January 2020: Fruitville Library, 100 Coburn Road, Sarasota.
• February 2020: Elsie Quirk Library, 100 W. Dearborn St., Englewood.
• March 2020: North Port Library, 13800 S. Tamiami Trail, North Port.
• April 2020: Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota.