Botanical Garden Museum opens to the public on March 8th

The city's new cultural space will be free to enter and will introduce visitors to the fantastic world of botany, with installations, art and interactivity.

With master sponsorship from Shell Brasil, the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden (JBRJ) will open the doors of a new cultural space on March 8th: the Botanical Garden Museum. Created to present the Botanical Garden as a world-class scientific research and development center, the museum will feature exhibitions, interactive content and a wide range of educational and cultural programming. To deliver the new museum to the public, Shell invested R$12 million in the revitalization of the early 20th century mansion, located at one of the entrances to the Botanical Garden. IDG - Instituto de Desenvolvimento e Gestão, hired by Shell, will be responsible for managing the space.

The new museum highlights the pioneering work of the Botanical Garden in developing public policies and assertive actions for the knowledge and conservation of Brazilian flora over more than two centuries of history, giving visibility to the dimensions of the work carried out by botanists: field expeditions, scientific research applied to biodiversity conservation and laboratory activities.

Right at the entrance to the museum, visitors will see a long-term exhibition, conceived in collaboration with a committee of JBRJ staff and researchers, which brings out the essence of the MJB through more than ten experiences. One of the highlights is the work "Sumaúma: Copa, Casa, Cosmos", by Estevão Ciavatta with narration by Regina Casé, which promotes a virtual immersion in the Sumaúma (Ceiba pentandra), an Amazonian tree present in the JBRJ's living collection and loaded with symbolism. For many peoples, it is the home of divine entities or even a portal that leads to different worlds.

For Sérgio Besserman Vianna, president of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, the museum shows, with art and excellence, the scientific work of the JBRJ, which is fundamental for the enrichment of biodiversity, with an emphasis on endangered species, in the immense forest restoration that Brazil has ahead of it".

The space also features installations by Brazilian artist and indigenous rights activist Denilson Baniwa, as well as the temporary exhibition "Mbae Kaá, o que tem na mata: Barbosa Rodrigues entre plantas e pajés", curated by SELVAGEM - ciclo de estudos sobre a vida. Completing the museum are: a reading room, which will offer the public various books and digital versions of rare works from the JBRJ's Barbosa Rodrigues Library collection, which can be browsed through using touch screens; a multi-purpose room for meetings, lectures and events; and a wide-ranging educational and cultural program.

"Acting directly in the transformation of the museum reinforces Shell's commitment to projects focused on sustainability and social responsibility. The Botanical Garden is a center of excellence in biodiversity research and conservation, and this scientific production deserves to be shown to all visitors, so that this territory, which already lives in the hearts of cariocas, can be discovered as much more than a garden," says Cristiano Pinto da Costa, president of Shell Brazil.

"We have an opportunity to further advance the debate on biodiversity conservation, showing the public how the scientific production and daily work of the Botanical Garden are fundamental to actions by the public authorities focused on the environmental conservation of biodiversity," says Ricardo Piquet, IDG's director-general.

"We will provide dynamic management that is integrated with the actions already carried out at the Botanical Garden, amplifying the knowledge generated by the team of researchers in our museum programs and in dialogue with visitors," says Daniela Alfonsi, who is responsible for managing the IDG team at the museum.

Botanical Garden Museum

Opening: Friday, March 8th at 10 a.m.

Visits: Thursday to Tuesday (closed on Wednesdays).

Opening hours: 10 a.m to 5 p.m, with the last entrance at 4 p.m.

Admission is free if you pick up a ticket at jbrj.eleventickets.com

Jardim Botânico - Access via Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008 

*There are bicycle racks and exclusive parking for people with severe locomotion disabilities (stickered vehicles); cars are allowed for loading and unloading people with locomotion difficulties (disabled, elderly, pregnant women).