Looking back through more than 140 years of museum history, it’s clear that the PMA’s impact is greatest when we open doors for audience engagement and identify opportunities to grow our collection and campus.
The First 100
"Sometimes a small push will give motion to a big body.”
- Margaret Jane Mussey Sweat
Although the museum was founded in 1882, the story of our downtown campus really begins with the legacy of our first benefactor, Margaret Jane Mussey Sweat. In 1908, Sweat bequeathed the McLellan House and necessary funds to build the L. D. M. Sweat Memorial Galleries in memory of her late husband. Margaret Jane Mussey Sweat’s belief in the museum would set the precedent for future generations of philanthropy and provide the visionary foundation of what the Portland Museum of Art could be.
McLellan House Facts & Figures
A federal-style three-story mansion, completed in 1801 for Major Hugh McLellan, at a cost of $20,000
Designed by John Kimball, Sr.
Bequeathed to the Portland Society of Art in 1908
L. D. M. Sweat Memorial Galleries Facts & Figures
Opened 1911
Beaux-arts style, designed by John Calvin Stevens
The Modern Era
1976 - 2006
Charles Shipman Payson's gift of 17 artworks by Winslow Homer served as a catalyst for the museum's expansion, the addition of significant long-term loans, and a new modern era of impact and support.
In the 65 years between 1911 & 1976, the size and scope of the PMA’s exhibitions expanded markedly, and the limitations of the museum's exhibition space, storage, and administrative support became apparent.
In 1976, Maine native Charles Shipman Payson promised the museum his collection of paintings by Winslow Homer. Additionally and most critically, Payson identified the museum's physical limitations and generously gave toward the construction of a new building to be designed by Henry Nichols Cobb of I. M. Pei & Partners. The PMA broke ground on the Charles Shipman Payson Building in 1981, and within two years facility was opened to the public.
Charles Shipman Payson Building Facts & Figures
Opened 1983
Designed by Henry Nichols Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.
62,790 square feet, with 20,000 square feet of exhibition space.
The Collection Grows
1979 - 1996
In direct response to the Payson gift, the 1979 gift of the Hamilton Easter Field Art Foundation Collection added more than 50 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by American modernists to the PMA collection. In 1991, the Joan Whitney Payson Collection of 20 impressionist and post-impressionist works of art was given to the museum on permanent loan. And in 1996, Elizabeth B. Noyce bequeathed 66 works of American art, which remains the most extensive and diverse gift of American art ever presented to the museum.
McLellan House Restoration
2002
For more than 20 years, beginning with the construction of the Charles Shipman Payson Building in 1981 and into the new century, the McLellan House remained closed.
After a successful capital campaign, the PMA meticulously renovated the property, restoring it to its original condition and reopening it to the public in 2002.
The Tipping Point
2006 - 2016
Homer Studio Heralds A New Approach
Just 4 years after completing the restoration of the McLellan House, the PMA looked to expand its campus beyond Congress Square and downtown Portland for the first time, and purchased Winslow Homer’s Studio on Prouts Neck, Maine. This acquisition would serve as the impetus for a transformative new decade for the museum, with increased support, audience engagement, recognition of the PMA brand, and impact of the museum in the 21st century.
Over the course of a six-year renovation project, the PMA restored the building to how it appeared during Homer’s lifetime and, in 2012, opened its doors to the public for the first time.
In conjunction with the studio’s inaugural season, the museum refreshed its identity with a new logo, updated design, and PMA brand, bringing it all together with one of its most successful exhibitions ever, Weatherbeaten: Winslow Homer and Maine. The exhibition broke attendance records and set a new precedent to what the museum could do in the years to come.
Winslow Homer Studio
Facts & Figures
2006, The PMA purchases the Winslow Homer Studio and begins restoration project
2012, Opens to the public
2014, Museum purchases the land surrounding the studio to be preserved in perpetuity
1,350 square feet
Cementing arts & culture as the cornerstone of downtown Portland.
2006 marked the beginning of a pivotal decade in Portland, as foundations laid at the turn of the century began to show results. New restaurants and breweries began popping up, venues such as SPACE Gallery were thriving and stalwarts such as the State Theatre were being revitalized, and the city was being seen anew as a national destination.
As this cultural renaissance took hold, the PMA board moved to secure the museum’s future options and flexibility in a changing city, through the purchase of two strategic properties adjacent to the PMA’s campus: 87 Spring Street and the Charles Quincy Clapp House.
87 Spring Street
Facts & Figures
38,158 square feet
Charles Quincy Clapp House
Facts & Figures
Built in 1832 & purchased in 2007
2,080 square feet
One of Maine's important early examples of high style Greek Revival architecture.
Acquired by the Portland Society of Art in 1914, with ownership transferring in 1982 to Maine College of Art when the Portland Society of Art separated into the PMA and MECA.
The Art For All Generation
2016 - present
Your Museum Reimagined Pushes PMA Forward
Lights Across Congress, the PMA’s grand reopening celebration, attracted more than 5,000 visitors on a 12 degree night in February.
On the heels of Weatherbeaten and the restoration of Winslow Homer Studio, the PMA launched into an ambitious project that would redefine the museum’s standing in the city of Portland, Maine’s economic development, and the national arts scene. Turning its attention back to Congress Square and its downtown Portland campus, the museum looked to focus its efforts around the collection. A four year, cross-departmental accessibility initiative, Your Museum, Reimagined, began in which PMA staff reinstalled the collection, digitized the collection, improved physical accessibility, and created more ways to remove financial means as a barrier to the museum. In essence, as Director Mark Bessire often said, “the PMA built a building without a building.”
At A Glance
NEW SPACES
Peggy L. Osher Art Study and Collection Committee Conference Room
Konkel Family Welcome Center
The Workshop
Updated Security Hub
NEW EXPERIENCES
Launch of the collection online, with 20% increase in time spent on portlandmuseum.org
First ever PMA collection catalogue
New in-gallery experiences, tours, and wayfinding
Reinstallation of the collection, with 30% more work on view
We’re committed to be an open, accessible, inclusive, and welcoming museum for all. We call it Art for All.
Since the successful reopening in February 2017, and with a renewed focus on audience engagement and accessibility, the PMA has aimed to build on the new wave of energy and support at the museum. We have worked tirelessly to be be a brave space that champions freedom of expression. This has meant dedicating ourselves to presenting exhibitions and hosting programs that reflect the museum’s diverse communities and audiences, and to create experiences with art that strengthen bonds and bring us together.
David E. Shaw Family Sculpture Park
In June 2017, opened to the public for the first time in nearly 35 years.
More than 10,750 people have visited the PMA for free through the park.
The David E. Shaw Family Sculpture Park hosts special events, live music, family activities, and more every year from May through October.
Recent additions by Isamu Noguchi, Jonathan Borofsky, John Bisbee, and William Zorach have joined works by Anthony Caro and Celeste Roberge.
The Susie Konkel Pass
In March 2018, through the generosity of Susie Konkel, the PMA introduced free admission to everyone ages 21 and under.
Since launching, 1,135 young adults, teenagers, and kids have become members of the PMA.
7% more people per month have been able to access the museum with free admission as a direct result of the Susie Konkel Pass.
New Voices To The Collection
The breadth of the museum’s collection has grown dramatically since 2014, with additions by artists including Tim Rollins & K.O.S., Jeffrey Gibson, Kara Walker, Daniel Minter, Theresa Secord, and Clifford Ross.
Community Backed Programs
We’ve been working with individuals, institutions, and organizations from across Maine’s communities to present programs that resonate with people from all walks of life.
Exhibitions That Make Connections
We’re committed to ensuring our exhibitions are transformative, engaging, and educational. From bringing contemporary voices into N. C. Wyeth: New Perspectives to highlighting art history in Nan Goldin, we want everyone to find something in every show.
Strengthening Existing Narratives
New artworks by Lois Dodd, Andrew Wyeth, David Driskell, Winslow Homer, and John Marin underscore the museum’s commitment to adding landmark works by artists already in the PMA collection.
The purchase of 142 Free Street and a changing city.
Julie Butcher Pezzino of the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine and PMA Director Mark Bessire as the PMA closed on the purchase of 142 Free Street.
In October 2019, the PMA took its latest big step: the purchase of 142 Free Street, a 19,158 square foot building directly adjacent to the museum’s Charles Shipman Payson building. The purchase provides the museum with flexibility for future opportunities in a developing city, and enables the PMA to secure the area around Congress Square as a center for arts and culture.