Meet Klaudio Rodriguez, New Executive Director of the MFA
Many new things are coming in 2025, including a new director at the St. Pete Museum of Fine Arts. I recently caught up with Klaudio Rodriguez after his return from Art Basel to learn more about him and the future of the MFA.
Rodriguez is a good fit for a multicultural encyclopedic museum like the MFA. “My mother is Croatian, and my dad is Nicaraguan. They met in Rome, Italy and after they married, returned to Nicaragua. However, during the political turmoil there, we came to Miami. I was six years old and the only things we had, came in the suitcases that we brought with us.”
Adjusting to a new life in the US was difficult at first, but Rodriguez explains that his parents worked hard to instill in him an appreciation for the arts at an early age.
“My father ended up working security at a hotel on Miami Beach and my mother worked nights as a cashier at Walgreens. We didn’t have much, but they knew the value of arts and culture so any time there was a free museum day or an event at a library, we went.”
These experiences helped to shape his future career, he says. “I think that is what set me apart from my fellow classmates. I spent a lot of time looking at art books.”
Upon entering university, Rodriguez studied architecture, in part because of his father’s interest in the subject, but he soon found other interests. “It wasn’t the creative outlet that I needed. I transferred to an art school, but, while I could draw and paint, I felt that did not make me an artist. I see artists as having such a commitment to their art, their message. That wasn’t who I was either. So, I decided to try again and went into art history. I wanted to be a curator. I wanted to help artists and make the pieces accessible to the public.”
Rodriguez’s career started in a university museum and shifted him through various positions: “I have worked everywhere, from registration to research, curatorial to director.” He was chief curator at the Frost Museum in Miami. For the seven years before coming to the MFA, he was the executive director of the Bronx Museum.
When it came to St. Petersburg, he says, “I think that what brought me here was this great cultural ecosystem. The fact that there are so many institutions is fantastic. Here people are used to having access to culture.”
As a self-described art history geek, Rodriguez also loves that the MFA carries work spanning all cultures and times. “There are many ways to tell stories here, which is exciting,” he says. “The fact that we are an encyclopedic museum opens up ideas from contemporary art to cave drawings.”
However, Rodriguez admits his arrival as the new executive director wasn’t exactly smooth.
“My very first day at the MFA was preparation for Milton, my second day was Hurricane Milton,” he explains. “I drove down from New York City and rented a bed-and-breakfast in the Old Northeast. When I got to the museum, the staff were already preparing for the hurricane, as they had just done weeks before for Helene. I told them that I didn’t want to be in the way and asked where I could be of help. I ended up volunteering for sandbag duty!”
Rodriguez says he was a little nervous being in the B&B, which was a 1920s wooden structure filled with windows, during the hurricane. Some of the staff asked if they could ride out the storm at the museum, which is classified to withstand a category five storm. “I joined them and that night we had a night at the museum. We projected movies on the walls and slept there,” he shares. “It was a fun way to get to know some of the staff.”
The next day, the MFA was fine. There were a few branches down, but the building was sound. “I went back to the B&B and it was also fine. It even had power!”
Rodriguez was joined by his wife and daughter a short time later and they set about looking for a house to buy. “A lot of places were flooded or a tree landed on them. But, in the end, we did purchase a beautiful house in the Old Northeast. My wife loves it,” he says. “Being from France, walking accessibility was important to her and here, we can walk to all sorts of locations. I couldn’t ask for more. It’s beautiful, quiet, and has friendly neighbors.”
Since his dramatic debut at the museum, Rodriguez has spent time becoming familiar with the collections.
“We have over 20,000 items and I still haven’t seen them all yet. In the middle of the day, I walk around and explore the works that are there. I love the Ancient Art of the Americas display. That was a time period that I researched when I was in university. And we have a little pocket exhibition on art from New Guinea. It’s small, but it’s a jewel of an exhibition. I brought my daughter to see it and she loved the masks. And then there is the Ansel Adams display… It’s not fair to ask what is my favorite. I love each work as I discover it.”
Just as he is discovering the treasures of the MFA, he wants the people of St. Pete and beyond to rediscover it.
“Come and enjoy the museum,” he says. “It’s for everyone. We are here for the community…it is a welcoming and engaging space. We are going to be working very hard to be improving on that. We have reinstituted our music program, for example. Special exhibitions are back. More cool things are coming. Stay tuned!”
