The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden (JBRJ) will open the doors to a new cultural space on March 8th: the Botanical Garden Museum. Created to showcase the Botanical Garden as a world-renowned center for research and scientific development, the museum will feature exhibitions, interactive content, and extensive educational and cultural programming. To deliver the new museum to the public, Shell has invested R$ 12 million in the revitalization of the early 20th-century mansion located at one of the entrances to the Botanical Garden. The IDG - Institute of Development and Management, contracted 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, showcasing the dimensions of the work done by botanists: field expeditions, scientific research applied to biodiversity conservation, and laboratory activities.

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

For Sérgio Besserman Vianna, president of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, the museum showcases, with art and excellence, the scientific work of the JBRJ, fundamental for the enrichment of biodiversity, with emphasis on endangered species and the immense forest restoration that Brazil faces.

The space also features installations by Brazilian artist and indigenous rights activist Denilson Baniwa, as well as the temporary exhibition "Mbae Kaá, what's in the forest: Barbosa Rodrigues among plants and shamans," curated by SELVAGEM - a study cycle about life. The museum also includes a reading room, offering the public various books and digital versions of rare works from the Barbosa Rodrigues Library collection of the JBRJ, which can be browsed through tactile screens; a multi-purpose room for meetings, lectures, and events; and extensive educational and cultural programming.

"Directly engaging in the transformation of the museum reinforces Shell's commitment to sustainability and social responsibility projects. 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 resides in the hearts of Rio de Janeiro's inhabitants, is discovered as much more than a garden," emphasizes Cristiano Pinto da Costa, president of Shell Brasil.

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

"We will bring dynamic and integrated management in line with actions already taken in the Botanical Garden, amplifying in our museological programs and in dialogue with visitors, the knowledge generated by the team of researchers," reinforces Daniela Alfonsi, responsible for directing the IDG team at the museum.

About the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden

The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute (JBRJ) is a federal autarchy linked to the Ministry of the Environment. Founded in 1808 by the then regent prince D. João, the JBRJ today is one of the most important research centers worldwide in the areas of botany and biodiversity conservation, with scientific projects of national and international insertion.

Service

Botanical Garden Museum

Opening: Friday, March 8th, at 10 am

Visitation: Thursday to Tuesday (closed on Wednesdays)

Opening hours: 10 am to 5 pm, with last entry at 4 pm

Free admission upon ticket reservation through the website https://jbrj.eleventickets.com/#!/home Botanical Garden - Access through Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008

*Bike racks and exclusive parking are available for people with severe mobility disabilities (adhesive vehicles); cars are allowed for boarding and disembarking people with mobility difficulties (disabled, elderly, pregnant).