MFA to Host Free Community Day to Celebrate 20 Years of Director Malcolm Rogers

MFA director Malcolm Rogers with “The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit” by John Singer Sargent. / Photo by Olga Khvan

Update, September 4, 5 p.m.: In addition to the MFA’s own celebration of Malcolm Rogers’s time at the museum, Mayor Marty Walsh, along with City Council, have declared Sunday, September 7, 2014, “Malcolm Rogers Day” to recognize the director’s “diligent work in making the MFA more accessible and welcoming to the public.”

The designation is well-deserved, and fits perfectly with the Community Day planned for the MFA on Sunday.

Of all the free “Community Days” that the Museum of Fine Arts hosts—every year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Memorial Day, for example—a new one scheduled for next month will have a more personal touch.

That’s because on September 7, the MFA will host an open house and free day of events dedicated to celebrating 20 years of beloved director Malcolm Rogers, who announced in the spring that he would retire.

As the longest-tenured director in MFA history, Rogers has helped bring world-class exhibits to the museum, overseen plenty of renovation and restoration, and opened up the MFA to make it an integral part of the local community. Much like former Boston Mayor Tom Menino defined an era for the city, Rogers has been a leader in Boston’s art scene for two decades. Even after retirement, his vision for the museum will surely still be evident in years to come.

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Malcolm Rogers Reflects on 20 Years at the MFA, Gives a Tour of His Favorite Pieces

On the Community Day in September, visitors to the MFA can look forward to plenty of special activities, including art-making sessions and a performance led by Shinique Smith, a Tufts and School of the Museum of Fine Arts alum whose exhibit “Bright Matter” will soon be on display at the museum. Diablo Glass School will demo the art of glass blowing outside the Huntington Avenue entrance, and Roxbury youth orchestra Revolution of Hope will perform as well.

Tours and talks at the museum throughout the day will focus on Rogers’s impact throughout his time at the MFA. Visitors will also be encouraged to use the hashtag #MR20 to share their favorite memories with Rogers on social media.

“MFA Community Day: Celebrating 20 Years of Ann and Graham Gund Director Malcolm Rogers” will take place Sunday, September 7, 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-267-9300, mfa.org.