Join us for educational programs featuring a stellar lineup of engaging, inspiring, and entertaining speakers. Each of our programs is designed to allow our audiences to delve deeper into the MFA Collection, garner different perspectives from experts, and reflect on current issues that impact the art museum space, and each of our lives.

2023 Fall Programming Season PRESENTED BY RAYMOND JAMES

Art on Film | An Evening with Lonnie Holley
Thursday, September 7, 2023
6:00 pm–8:00 pm  
Join us for a screening of Thumbs Up for Mother Universe: Stories from the Life of Lonnie Holley. This 58-minute documentary film by George King covers the life and work of Alabama visual artist and musician Lonnie Holley over the course of 22 years. An enthralling conversation between Lonnie Holley and George King will immediately follow the screening.

The Story of Art | The Nature of Art: “America” Personified
Thursday, September 14, 2023
6:00 pm–7:00 pm  
In conjunction with the upcoming The Nature of Art exhibition, this Story of Art segment will examine ways in which U.S. and European artists gave physical form to this so-called “new world.” Despite human habitation spanning over 20,000 years, European settlers imposed their own visions and imaginings onto the landscape through their artistic representations. Senior Curator of Collections & Exhibitions Dr. Stanton Thomas will explore an array of imaginative depictions of the natural terrain, unraveling their intricate meanings and cultural nuances.

The Story of Art | Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists
Thursday, September 21, 2023
6:00 pm–7:00 pm  
Katherine Pill, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, will discuss Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? This provocative discussion examines art historian Linda Nochlin’s 1971 essay, an epic examination of the institutional obstacles that prevented women from succeeding in the arts.

Autumnal Equinox with Christian Sampson
Saturday, September 23, 2023
8:00 am–9:00 am  
We welcome MFA Members to join us for an exclusive opening reception for the third installation of Tempus volat, hora fugit by Christian Sampson. Meet the artist, enjoy coffee and pastries, and marvel at the beautiful play of light and color that will fill the Mary Alice McClendon Conservatory.

Still Striking | Creativity & Aging
Thursday, September 28, 2023
6:00 pm–7:00 pm  
Art historian, curator, and critic Dr. Douglas Dreishpoon will elaborate on some of the central issues—cultural, economic, political, and social—surrounding the topic of creativity and aging. He will discuss the late work of selected painters, musicians, and dancers, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Louise Bourgeois, Helen Frankenthaler, Willem de Kooning, Tony Bennett, Miles Davis, and Merce Cunningham.

The Nature of Art | The Overview Effect
Thursday, October 19, 2023
6:00 pm–7:00 pm  
The Overview Effect is part of a series of public programming events designed to illuminate our next exhibition, The Nature of Art, which looks at the myriad ways in which humans have used art to navigate and mediate our environment. Jane Poynter, co-founder of Space Perspective, will present a riveting presentation on the innovative approaches of humans to act as both stewards and survivors of our planet.

The Art of the Americas | Andrew James Hamilton
Thursday, October 26, 2023
6:00 pm–7:00 pm  
Andrew James Hamilton, associate curator of art of the Americas at the Art Institute of Chicago and author of the highly acclaimed book, Scale & the Incas (Princeton 2018), recounts how this Andean civilization created a host of fantastically scaled objects as a way of communicating meaning in their multi-lingual empire.

Artist Talk | Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A.)
Thursday, November 9, 2023
6:00 pm–7:00 pm  
Globally renowned and celebrated for his exquisitely crafted lush and brilliant works, Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A.) brings an extraordinary life story to a rich and compelling body of work in a variety of media. Born Deyvi Orangel Peña Arteaga, using his moniker Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A.), creates paintings/collages on mica, videos, installations, and performances, through which he breaks down belief systems into intersecting components of science, spirituality, and mysticism.

Yoga at the MFA
Every Thursday in September and October
8:00 am–9:00 am  
Bathed in the vibrant colors and light of Christian Sampson’s site-responsive installation Tempus volat, hora fugit, Yoga at the MFA takes place every Thursday in September and October from 8 am to 9 am in the beautiful Mary Alice McClendon Conservatory. These sessions offer a serene and rejuvenating morning of stretching, breathing exercises, meditation, and mindfulness.

The MFA 2023 Fall Programming Season, presented by