Image: Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, Fort Collins
The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg is entering the final week for two exhibitions that the museum says invite visitors into “immersive worlds of imagination, history, truth, and storytelling.” Ali Banisadr: The Alchemist and The Last Library IV: Written in Water both close Sunday, July 12, leaving only a few days to see them on view at the downtown waterfront museum.
The MFA’s announcement positions the pair of exhibitions as a summer highlight for audiences interested in ambitious contemporary installations and painting. The museum describes The Alchemist and The Last Library IV as projects that move between visual invention and ideas about memory, narrative, and history. In Banisadr’s case, the museum has singled out an exhibition organized by the Katonah Museum of Art and curated by Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe, director and chief curator there, underscoring the institutional reach behind the show.
The closing weekend is being framed not simply as a deadline, but as a chance to experience the exhibitions alongside live programs. On Sunday, July 12, the MFA will host In Conversation: Ward Shelley, Douglas Paulson, & Dr. Stanton Thomas from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., a free-with-admission event that requires registration. The museum says the talk will feature the artists behind The Last Library IV and will focus on the ideas, materials, and timely themes that shaped the immersive installation, alongside the MFA’s chief curator.
The final-week programming extends beyond the gallery. Earlier in the week, the museum scheduled Homeschool Hours inspired by Yvette Mayorga’s Magic Grasshopper for students ages 5 to 14, and Public Library Outreach: Ancient Pottery – A Hands On Experience at the Barbara Ponce Public Library. The museum also planned Art After Dark: A Jazz Night with Fern & Friends on Thursday, July 9, with discounted admission, after-hours gallery access, live jazz, and Café Clementine’s L’Apéro offerings, as well as a member tour and refreshments that evening.
That mix of programming shows how the MFA is using the exhibitions as the center of a wider public-facing calendar rather than as stand-alone displays. The museum’s event listing also pointed to Studio Saturdays on July 11, a free drop-in activity inviting visitors of all ages to make monochromatic pink artwork inspired by Yvette Mayorga’s Magic Grasshopper, another current exhibition on the MFA’s website. For the museum, the final days of The Alchemist and The Last Library IV are part of a larger summer rhythm of exhibition viewing, social events, and family programming.
The story matters because it highlights the continuing role of museums as places where contemporary art is encountered not only through objects on the wall, but through conversation, education, and live event culture. At a time when institutions are looking for ways to deepen audience engagement, the MFA’s approach uses the closing week of major exhibitions to bring together artists, curators, members, families, and casual visitors around a shared experience of art.
