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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260507T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260507T200000
DTSTAMP:20260412T134512
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SUMMARY:Book + Banisadr Book Club | War + Apocalypse
DESCRIPTION:Book + Banisadr Book Club | War + Apocalypse\nIn conjunction with Ali Banisadr: The Alchemist\, the MFA is proud to introduce the Book + Banisadr Book Club\, a three-part literary program that invites participants to immerse themselves into the complex\, turbulent worlds of Banisadr’s works through the lens of contemporary fiction that mimic the artist’s practice in both chaos and composure. \nHeld in partnership with Book + Bottle\, a beloved local independent bookstore and wine bar\, each session will focus on a thoughtfully selected book that echoes the figurative illusions rooted in autobiographical narratives\, sonic recollection\, invented stories\, world history\, collective memory\, and mythology embedded in the imagery of Ali Banisadr’s work. Through this one-of-a-kind pairing of literature and art\, historical themes will be reexamined against the dreadful\, real\, and unreal stories we tell ourselves. \nEach session will feature a specially paired wine and will be carefully facilitated to bridge the artworks in the exhibition to the relevant and resonant conversations shaping our society today. This month’s selection\, The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali\, is a poignant novel of love\, loss\, and fate set against the backdrop of 1950s Tehran\, following a young couple whose lives are forever changed by political upheaval. \n\nDrawing on childhood experiences of the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88) in his native Tehran\, where explosions and other aural disturbances were commonplace\, as well as his extant synesthesia\, Banisadr painstakingly and intuitively builds complex compositions that exude a vitality at once turbulent and celebratory. In 1988\, Banisadr left Iran with his family at the age of twelve\, first reaching Turkey and then San Diego\, California. While living in San Francisco\, he became involved with the local graffiti art community while studying psychology. He later moved to New York City where he earned a BFA at the School of Visual Arts (2005) and an MFA at the New York Academy of Art (2007)\, and he continues to live and work in Brooklyn\, NY. \nBook + Banisadr Book Club | War + Apocalypse \nThursday\, May 7\, 2026\n6:00 PM–8:00 PM\nMuseum of Fine Arts\, St. Petersburg\n255 Beach Drive NE\, St. Petersburg FL 33701 \n$25 for Members; $35 for Not-Yet-Members \nTICKETS \nTickets include program and 1 glass of wine. Additional wine available for purchase. \nNot yet a member?\nBecome a member today and enjoy all the benefits membership at the MFA offers! \nMFA Members enjoy free admission for an entire year\, early access to special exhibitions\, discounts at the MFA Shop and Café Clementine\, special member-only exclusive events\, and more. Bring the whole family! \nBECOME A MEMBER \n\nAbout Book + Bottle\n \nBook + Bottle is a bottle shop\, an independent bookstore\, a coffee café\, and a wine bar all rolled into one exquisite little package. They have the most passionate\, friendly\, and helpful team in town to help you choose a book or a bottle or to take care of you and your friends on your night off. \nThey’re an independent\, woman-owned\, values-driven\, sustainably run\, local-first business that believes little kindnesses can make our community—and the world—a better place. \nAbout The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali\n \nFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Together Tea and The Lion Women of Tehran\, a poignant\, “powerful” (The Wall Street Journal) and “affecting novel about first love” (Real Simple) that explores loss\, reconciliation\, and the quirks of fate. \nRoya\, a dreamy\, idealistic teenager living amid the political upheaval of 1953 Tehran\, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri’s neighborhood stationery shop\, stocked with books and pens and bottles of jewel-colored ink. \nThen Mr. Fakhri\, with a keen instinct for a budding romance\, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman\, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi’s poetry—and she loses her heart at once. Their romance blossoms\, and the little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran. \nA few short months later\, on the eve of their marriage\, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square when violence erupts—a result of the coup d’etat that forever changes their country’s future. In the chaos\, Bahman never shows. For weeks\, Roya tries desperately to contact him\, but her efforts are fruitless. With a sorrowful heart\, she moves on—to college in California\, to another man\, to a life in New England—until\, more than sixty years later\, an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did you leave? Where did you go? How is it that you were able to forget me? \nSee ALL Book + Banisadr Book Club Dates and Times: \n\nMay 7\, 2026 @ 6 pm: Book + Banisadr Book Club | War + Apocalypse\nJune 4\, 2026 @ 6 pm: Book + Banisadr Book Club | Mythology + History\nJuly 2\, 2026 @ 6 pm: Book + Banisadr Book Club | Sound + Composition
URL:https://mfastpete.org/event/book-banisadr-book-club-1/
LOCATION:Museum of Fine Arts\, St. Petersburg\, 255 Beach Drive NE\, St. Petersburg\, FL\, 33701\, United States
CATEGORIES:Adult Program,Educational Event
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260509T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260509T110000
DTSTAMP:20260412T134512
CREATED:20251014T004247Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251014T004303Z
UID:10000520-1778317200-1778324400@mfastpete.org
SUMMARY:Studio Saturdays at the MFA
DESCRIPTION:Please join the Museum of Fine Arts every second Saturday of each month for a free art making activity! The MFA will host a casual pop-up studio station in the Mary Alice McClendon Conservatory to make art to take home and to interact with members of your community. Enjoy Café Clementine while you make some art or browse the MFA Shop for art-centric books\, gifts\, and art supplies to take more art home with you. \nKick off the approaching summer with free bookmark-making to use for your summer reading. Come to the MFA’s conservatory for children’s books to read and bookmark making for all ages with coloring materials\, stickers\, and more! \n  \n\nStudio Saturdays at the MFA\nSaturday\, May 9\, 2026\n9:00 AM–11:00 AM\nFREE FOR EVERYONE! The entire program takes place in the Mary Alice McClendon Conservatory\, right next to Café Clementine—where MFA Members enjoy 15% off. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  \nNot yet a member? Become a member today and enjoy all the benefits membership at the MFA offers! MFA Members enjoy free admission for an entire year\, early access to special exhibitions\, discounts at the MFA Shop and Café Clementine\, special member-only exclusive events\, and more. Bring the whole family! \nBecome a Member \n\n 
URL:https://mfastpete.org/event/studio-saturdays-at-the-mfa-5-9-26/
LOCATION:Museum of Fine Arts\, St. Petersburg\, 255 Beach Drive NE\, St. Petersburg\, FL\, 33701\, United States
CATEGORIES:Educational Event,FREE for MFA Members,FREE for Pinellas County Residents,Youth and Family Event
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