The PMA Blueprint

Building a landmark for the future

This paradigm shift enables the PMA to be a leader of our region, a keystone for our communities, and a catalyst for our economy.

In a region traditionally renowned for its natural beauty and cuisine, the PMA has a new vision defined by arts, culture, equity, and sustainability. To get there will require innovative thinking that goes “beyond the brick,” and into the very nature of what a museum can be.

We believe the museum can transcend convention and redefine the quintessential Maine experience. We understand that the PMA, through investment in art and the facilities that bring that art to the public, can initiate a transformative new chapter for our region, one defined by growth and prosperity. And we know the time is now to embark on this profound and permanent shift forward.

The PMA’s impact is greatest when we open doors for audience engagement and identify opportunities to grow our collection and unify our campus.

The Portland Museum of Art is defined by three pillars: community, collection, and campus. Working in tandem, these pillars have been the foundation of every milestone of the museum’s incredible history. From the museum’s founding in 1882 by artists and community leaders, to Charles Shipman Payson’s gift of 17 works by Winslow Homer, to the opening of its Payson building one hundred years later, and to its present-day status as a cultural leader, the PMA’s success has been grounded by one of these three pillars.

Now, sparked by the current growth and diversification of the collection, record attendance and community feedback, and new opportunities to expand and unify its campus, the Portland Museum of Art stands ready to embark on what will be its most ambitious and pioneering era yet. This era will be defined by the additions of new, renowned collections, the development of iconic buildings in which to present them, and an innovative relationship with the communities we serve.

Reflecting on these cycles is critical to understanding the unique and promising moment the PMA is embracing.

Our dedication to the collection has never been stronger.

We’re committed to highlighting the strengths of our existing collection and the long-term loans that have attracted local and global audiences for decades. Simultaneously, we’re expanding the collection dramatically through additions by artists such as Jeffrey Gibson, Daniel Minter, Tim Rollins & K.O.S., Clifford Ross, Theresa Secord, and Kara Walker. Lastly, we’re reinforcing holdings of landmark works by Maine artists, including Lois Dodd, David Driskell, Winslow Homer, John Marin, and Andrew Wyeth.

The museum is now about to move light-years forward, with the addition of several major, internationally renowned and incredibly valuable collections that will transform everything. This expansion of the collection is the most extensive and diverse in the institution’s history, and immediately centers the PMA as one of the most important museums in the Northeast.

But the opportunity and challenge ahead is clear: to present these collections at all, let alone meaningfully and in line with our values, we need to increase capacity to provide welcoming spaces for all through the growth and unification of our campus.

The PMA’s success is now our biggest challenge.

In the last two years, our audiences have made it clear that they have big expectations, and we do too. We’ve sustained double-digit increases in attendance for the last half decade, reaching a record high in 2019 with nearly 177,000 visitors. As we look to the future, it’s easy to see how the constraints of our campus will soon hinder our goals and our communities’ needs.

Compared to peer institutions*, the PMA...

In October 2019, the PMA took a big step toward a bold future, purchasing 142 Free Street building directly adjacent to the museum’s Charles Shipman Payson Building. In a rapidly evolving city, this purchase provides the museum with a footprint for future opportunities and enables the PMA to define Portland as a national center for arts and culture. 

With the opportunities of 142 Free Street, the development of Congress Square (a major, underdeveloped urban park at the main entrance of the museum) and the domino effects of renewal across our campus at sites like the Payson Building, Spring Street lot, and more, now is the time to unify the campus and thoughtfully plan the museum’s future. We envision our campus as an environmentally sustainable gathering place where a strong artistic vision drives conversation, creativity, and cultural vibrancy. 

This investment will embody our Art for All and Sustainability values, with 142 Free Street being the first sustainable and green public building in Portland and just the fourth green public museum building in the country. Planned across a six- or seven-story building, the ground floor is a community gathering space with a gallery, classrooms, and versatile areas for collaborations, partnerships, and communal food sharing. The lower level is a large flexible auditorium, and one floor would be dedicated to housing local nonprofit organizations, which would operate in the building and become crucial to the education and outreach programs of the PMA. One floor would include an all ages Makers Space, classrooms, and a Photography Center. One floor would be dedicated to traveling exhibitions as our current space of 4,500 square feet is too small for us to collaborate with our peer museums; another floor would hold offices. The rooftop would provide a meeting area, restaurant, and a sculpture park as well as an opportunity for earned revenue. 

A key component of the new PMA building at 142 Free Street will be home to a photography study center that teaches and inspires our youth, partners with seasoned photographers, and analyzes the historical and contemporary fields of photography. This dedicated space could fully support the field of photography for all generations by creating a new model that is so needed today, as museums struggle with their past. It could be housed on a floor that provides full-service photography, from darkrooms, classrooms, and galleries, to a study center in partnership with other cultural organizations, making it an active and accessible space for all. It could also include a dedicated permanent gallery, with exhibitions changing annually so that visitors to the PMA can build over time their knowledge of the art of photography.    

It’s time to create the next great PMA experience, adding a new, iconic, and architecturally significant center to our historic campus. A unified and renewed campus will enhance the mission, welcome visitors from around the corner and across the world, and encourage meaningful connections with artworks, programs, and events.  

Join Us.

Beginning today, we can renew, revitalize, and redefine a museum’s role within our society—but we can’t do it alone.

With your partnership and support, we can manifest a model for all museums: one defined by leadership, courage, sustainability, and inclusivity.

The PMA that you will help establish will strengthen our societal fabric and affirm that museums are critical to the health of our communities in all ways. Together, we can realize the true potential of museums for all people.

In The News

We’re committed to connecting the art and ideas inside our walls with the world and people outside of them, and our vision for the museum will demonstrate that the PMA is a different kind of arts institution: one that platforms its communities, promotes its region, and elevates our shared future.