Fall is the opposite of spring, if you think about it.

Spring is about freshness, new beginnings, revitalization.

Fall is beautiful but melancholy, something so pretty you don’t want it to end, while simultaneously realizing it is just that fleeting nature that makes it so wonderful.

Fall is getting ready for the biggest annual finale there is: the coming of the new year.

It is also, at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, anyway, about a brand-new bounty of wall fare.

The public opening of BIMA’s new exhibitions, a chance for visitors to meet the artists and be among the first to enjoy the seasonal spectacle of the museum’s ever-revolving offerings, will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14. Admission is free, though donations will be accepted.

The fall/winter shows will be on display through Feb. 4, 2018, and include paintings and assemblage pieces, jewelry, metal work and a 14-foot fork.

BIMA’s fall/winter 2017/18 exhibitions are:

“Robert McCauley: American Fiction”

A major solo exhibition featuring more than 30 paintings and assemblage works from the 1990s to the present. McCauley (from Mount Vernon) returned from the Midwest in 2008 after a distinguished teaching career. This exhibition includes work borrowed from the Hallie Ford Museum of Art (Willamette University, Salem, Oregon) and Rockford Art Museum (Rockford, Illinois).

“Nadine Kariya: The Hammer and the Peony”

Seattle metalsmith Nadine Kariya presents elegant designs and stories in jewelry and small functional objects.

“Frank Renlie: Smile”

Renlie (from Lake Forest Park) paints what is in his head, and one cannot help but smile. Included in this show are more than 25 paintings from his studio and regional collectors.

“Heikki Seppa: Master Metalsmith”

BIMA will once again present this legacy collection by the late master metalsmith, Heikki Seppa. More than 30 diverse works in conceptual and functional sculpture, and jewelry art are included.

“Taking Issue: Artist’s Books – Collection of Cynthia Sears – Chapter 12”

Book artists address issues important to them across the spectrum of social and political ideas in this, the latest chapter in BIMA’s popular ongoing exhibition.

“Paul Polson: Out Here AND Strata”

Polson (from Poulsbo) presents regional landscape paintings in oil, plus sedimentary layer paintings which can be viewed as either stacked histories or alternate dimensions.

Also on display as part of BIMA’s new seasonal shows will be Lucy Congdon Hanson (from Port Townsend), debuting her 14-foot fork, in fabricated stainless steel, as well as new acquisitions in the museum’s permanent collection: paintings, prints, plus wood, glass, metal and resin sculpture. Artists include Guy Anderson, Steffen Dam, Becky Fletcher, Steve Jensen, Louise Kikuchi, James Minson, Alan Newberg and Barbara Earl Thomas.

BIMA (550 Winslow Way East) is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Visit www.biartmuseum.org for more information.