Pictured Above: MFA St. Petersburg will reopen with COVID-19 safety protocols and two new exhibitions on view.
Annalise Anderson | The Crow’s Nest
By Annalise Anderson
The Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg (MFA) will reopen this Saturday, Sept. 19, with modified hours of operation and strict safety measures in place.
MFA houses a vast collection of fine artworks and regularly hosts temporary installations throughout the year.
This month, MFA will reopen with “Derrick Adams: Buoyant.”
Baltimore-born artist Derrick Adams made a name for himself by creating contemporary artworks centered around Black identity.
The exhibition features Adams’ “Floaters” series, which is a collection of acrylic and collage paintings showcasing Black men, women and children taking respite on colorful pool floats in vivid blue water.
Adams found inspiration for the collection when he came across a 1967 edition of Ebony Magazine. Inside was a photo spread depicting Martin Luther King, Jr. taking a much-needed vacation with his family in Jamaica. Adams questioned why he had never seen this side of the civil rights icon.
Aiming to normalize Black leisure and joy, Adams’ modest scenes represent a void in depictions of Black life. He argues that systemic racism has created a vapid representation of Black figures in repose.
Pictured Above: “Floater 80” is Adams’ rendition of a self-portrait and is the only piece that is based in reality. All other works in the collection depict figurative subjects.
Though the museum’s exhibitions are planned far ahead, Buoyant has made a timely local appearance amid the nation’s continued social unrest.
Lashonda Curry, MFA manager of communications and public relations, called the exhibition “well-timed.”
Multiple pieces of the collection are on loan from high-profile collectors, including Alicia Keys.
Adams earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University and is the recipient of multiple awards. His artwork is in the permanent collections of notable institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art and Hudson River Museum.
Adams has attracted growing attention from the art world and has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, British GQ, ARTnews and Paper Magazine, just to name a few. Not to mention his work’s recent appearance in Beyonce’s 2020 film “Black is King.”
This will be his first solo exhibition in the southeast.
Also on view is “Copper, Silver, Salt, Ink: The chemistry of photography’s enduring desires.” This exhibition highlights the chemistry and artistry behind the development of photography and features early photographs dating to the late 1830s.
“I think young creatives and young people in general would really appreciate both of our shows,” said MFA Director of Marketing and Communications Julie A. Wilson.
“Contemporary artist Derrick Adams and the messages that he’s saying to the media about putting Black people in art – which is not something that we often see – and, also, the photography … I hope (young people) come here knowing they will have a safe experience.”
The museum is currently undergoing previously planned renovations of its permanent collection galleries. Only the first-floor exhibition galleries will be open to visitors.
“When that reopens, I hope that people come back to see the MFA collection in a whole different way,” Wilson said. “We have some surprises in store for when we open up the collection galleries and I think people will be delighted with that, as well. And hopefully it will be a mental break from their daily stressors.”
At this time, MFA St. Petersburg is only offering advanced ticket sales. Admission costs have been lowered due to limited gallery access. Student and educator admission is $10.
In an effort to keep guests safe from the spread of COVID-19, the museum has implemented temperature checks, mask requirements, limited occupancy, guided foot traffic and abundant signage. View the museum’s website for more information.
MFA St. Petersburg will be open Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday 12 to 8 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 12 to 5 p.m. and closed Monday. The museum café will remain closed until further notice.
The museum will also host a variety of virtual events that students are invited to check out.
