Mark Your Calendars.

Looking for something to do? You’ve come to the right place.

From exhibition openings, guest lectures and gallery tours to family programs, community events and screenings of the world’s most impactful films—the PMA is your place to get together with family, friends, and loved ones.

All programs and events take place in-person at the Portland Museum of Art unless otherwise noted.

 

PMA Picks

Our favorite upcoming events, programs, and experiences. You might even say they’re curated.

Programs & Events
PMA Films: Dahomey (with Chief Curator Shalini Le Gall)
Dec 6
PMA Films: Dahomey (with Chief Curator Shalini Le Gall)

68 minutes (followed by discussion). Not Rated. Directed by Mati Diop. In French with English subtitles. DCP.

In 2021, 26 objects from the Kingdom of Dahomey leave Paris and are returned to present-day Benin. How should these art treasures, stolen from ancestors, be received in a country which has reinvented itself in their absence?

Copper Beech Tree Lighting 2024
Dec 6
Copper Beech Tree Lighting 2024

Our annual Copper Beech Tree Lighting returns to brighten up your holiday season!

PMA Films: Wojnarowicz (Free screening with Frannie Peabody Center)
Dec 7
PMA Films: Wojnarowicz (Free screening with Frannie Peabody Center)

105 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Chris McKim. In English.

Exclusive access to his breathtaking body of work – including paintings, journals, and films – reveals how Wojnarowicz emptied his life into his art and activism. This is a free screening in commemoration of World AIDS Day on December 1.

PMA Films: Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine (Free screening with panel discussion)
Dec 14
PMA Films: Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine (Free screening with panel discussion)

85 minutes (followed by panel discussion). Not Rated. Directed by Richard Kane. In English. DCP.

One of the worst societal traumas of the century, Building Hope puts a face on homelessness and tells us it could happen to anyone. A free screening followed by a discussion with Senator-elect Rachel Talbot Ross, Cullen Ryan (Community Housing of Maine), Andrew Bove (Preble Street), and film producer Melody Lewis-Kane.

Third Thursday: Cookies, Cocoa, and "The Muppets Christmas Carol"
Dec 19
Third Thursday: Cookies, Cocoa, and "The Muppets Christmas Carol"

Festive Third Thursday with cookies, cocoa, and The Muppets Christmas Carol

PMA Films: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) (Free Third Thursday screening)
Dec 19
PMA Films: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) (Free Third Thursday screening)

87 minutes. Rated G. Directed by Brian Henson. In English.

Kermit the Frog, Michael Caine, and an expansive cast of Muppets populate this delightful adaptation of Charles Dickens’s holiday classic. A free Third Thursday screening!

PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light
Dec 20
PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light

118 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Payal Kapadia. In Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi with English subtitles. DCP.

The light, the lives, and the textures of contemporary, working-class Mumbai are explored and celebrated by writer/director Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for her revelatory fiction feature debut. 

Third Thursday: Music with Spencer Albee
Jan 16
Third Thursday: Music with Spencer Albee

Join us for January’s Third Thursday featuring Portland singer-songwriter Spencer Albee! Known for his annual Beatles night, hailed by Rolling Stone as “a mind-blowing tribute,” Spencer will perform in and around the galleries. Don’t miss it!  

"As We Are" Artist Gallery Talk: Elana Adler and Oscar Chacon
Feb 20
"As We Are" Artist Gallery Talk: Elana Adler and Oscar Chacon

Join us this Third Thursday for a gallery talk with artists from the exhibition As We Are. From 6 to 7 p.m., we’ll have artists Elana Adler and Oscar Chacon in the gallery to share insights into their artistic practices, as well as those of their peers.

Access for All on Third Thursday
Mar 20
Access for All on Third Thursday

Visit the museum for free all day with an ever-changing monthly party.

Art in Bloom 2025
Apr 9
Art in Bloom 2025

Featuring floral work by designers, artists, farmers, and florists from across southern Maine, the museum comes alive with fragrant blooms, extravagant displays, and incredible floral installations of all types—each inspired by an artwork from the museum’s collection.

Access for All on Third Thursday
Apr 17
Access for All on Third Thursday

Visit the museum for free all day with an ever-changing monthly party.

Full Calendar

Access for All on Third Thursdays

Every third Thursday of the month the PMA is free throughout the entire day and during extended hours, making Access for All last from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with an evening party with musicians, food trucks, artists, and more.

Programs & Events
NEW DATE "As We Are" Artist Gallery Talk: Rachel Gloria Adams
Dec 19
NEW DATE "As We Are" Artist Gallery Talk: Rachel Gloria Adams
Third Thursday: Cookies, Cocoa, and "The Muppets Christmas Carol"
Dec 19
Third Thursday: Cookies, Cocoa, and "The Muppets Christmas Carol"
Third Thursday: Music with Spencer Albee
Jan 16
Third Thursday: Music with Spencer Albee
"As We Are" Artist Gallery Talk: Elana Adler and Oscar Chacon
Feb 20
"As We Are" Artist Gallery Talk: Elana Adler and Oscar Chacon
Access for All on Third Thursday
Mar 20
Access for All on Third Thursday
Access for All on Third Thursday
Apr 17
Access for All on Third Thursday
Access for All on Third Thursday
May 15
Access for All on Third Thursday
Access for All on Third Thursday
Jun 19
Access for All on Third Thursday
Access for All on Third Thursday
Jul 17
Access for All on Third Thursday
Access for All on Third Thursday
Aug 21
Access for All on Third Thursday
Access for All on Third Thursday
Sep 18
Access for All on Third Thursday
Access for All on Third Thursday
Oct 16
Access for All on Third Thursday
Access for All on Third Thursday
Nov 20
Access for All on Third Thursday
 

Free Fridays

We’re free each and every Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. with concerts, special events, activities, and more.  

Programs & Events
Copper Beech Tree Lighting 2024
Dec 6
Copper Beech Tree Lighting 2024
"As We Are" Artist Gallery Talk: Jay Stern and Tessa Green O’Brien
Jan 10
"As We Are" Artist Gallery Talk: Jay Stern and Tessa Green O’Brien

PMA Films

Experience Maine’s best selection of indie, foreign, art house, and award-winning cinema you can’t find anywhere else.  

Programs & Events
PMA Films: Dahomey (with Chief Curator Shalini Le Gall)
Dec 6
PMA Films: Dahomey (with Chief Curator Shalini Le Gall)

68 minutes (followed by discussion). Not Rated. Directed by Mati Diop. In French with English subtitles. DCP.

In 2021, 26 objects from the Kingdom of Dahomey leave Paris and are returned to present-day Benin. How should these art treasures, stolen from ancestors, be received in a country which has reinvented itself in their absence?

PMA Films: Dahomey
Dec 6
PMA Films: Dahomey

68 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Mati Diop. In French with English subtitles. DCP.

In 2021, 26 objects from the Kingdom of Dahomey leave Paris and are returned to present-day Benin. How should these art treasures, stolen from ancestors, be received in a country which has reinvented itself in their absence?

PMA Films: Dahomey
Dec 7
PMA Films: Dahomey

68 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Mati Diop. In French with English subtitles. DCP.

In 2021, 26 objects from the Kingdom of Dahomey leave Paris and are returned to present-day Benin. How should these art treasures, stolen from ancestors, be received in a country which has reinvented itself in their absence?

PMA Films: Wojnarowicz (Free screening with Frannie Peabody Center)
Dec 7
PMA Films: Wojnarowicz (Free screening with Frannie Peabody Center)

105 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Chris McKim. In English.

Exclusive access to his breathtaking body of work – including paintings, journals, and films – reveals how Wojnarowicz emptied his life into his art and activism. This is a free screening in commemoration of World AIDS Day on December 1.

PMA Films: Dahomey
Dec 8
PMA Films: Dahomey

68 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Mati Diop. In French with English subtitles. DCP.

In 2021, 26 objects from the Kingdom of Dahomey leave Paris and are returned to present-day Benin. How should these art treasures, stolen from ancestors, be received in a country which has reinvented itself in their absence?

PMA Films: Dahomey
Dec 8
PMA Films: Dahomey

68 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Mati Diop. In French with English subtitles. DCP.

In 2021, 26 objects from the Kingdom of Dahomey leave Paris and are returned to present-day Benin. How should these art treasures, stolen from ancestors, be received in a country which has reinvented itself in their absence?

PMA Films: Dahomey
Dec 8
PMA Films: Dahomey

68 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Mati Diop. In French with English subtitles. DCP.

In 2021, 26 objects from the Kingdom of Dahomey leave Paris and are returned to present-day Benin. How should these art treasures, stolen from ancestors, be received in a country which has reinvented itself in their absence?

PMA Films: The End
Dec 13
PMA Films: The End

148 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer. In English. DCP.

From Academy Award®-nominated director Joshua Oppenheimer (The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence) comes a poignant and deeply human musical about a family that survived the end of the world.

PMA Films: The End
Dec 13
PMA Films: The End

148 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer. In English. DCP.

From Academy Award®-nominated director Joshua Oppenheimer (The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence) comes a poignant and deeply human musical about a family that survived the end of the world.

PMA Films: The End
Dec 14
PMA Films: The End

148 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer. In English. DCP.

From Academy Award®-nominated director Joshua Oppenheimer (The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence) comes a poignant and deeply human musical about a family that survived the end of the world.

PMA Films: Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine (Free screening with panel discussion)
Dec 14
PMA Films: Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine (Free screening with panel discussion)

85 minutes (followed by panel discussion). Not Rated. Directed by Richard Kane. In English. DCP.

One of the worst societal traumas of the century, Building Hope puts a face on homelessness and tells us it could happen to anyone. A free screening followed by a discussion with Senator-elect Rachel Talbot Ross, Cullen Ryan (Community Housing of Maine), Andrew Bove (Preble Street), and film producer Melody Lewis-Kane.

PMA Films: The End
Dec 15
PMA Films: The End

148 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer. In English. DCP.

From Academy Award®-nominated director Joshua Oppenheimer (The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence) comes a poignant and deeply human musical about a family that survived the end of the world.

PMA Films: The End
Dec 15
PMA Films: The End

148 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer. In English. DCP.

From Academy Award®-nominated director Joshua Oppenheimer (The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence) comes a poignant and deeply human musical about a family that survived the end of the world.

PMA Films: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) (Free Third Thursday screening)
Dec 19
PMA Films: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) (Free Third Thursday screening)

87 minutes. Rated G. Directed by Brian Henson. In English.

Kermit the Frog, Michael Caine, and an expansive cast of Muppets populate this delightful adaptation of Charles Dickens’s holiday classic. A free Third Thursday screening!

PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light
Dec 20
PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light

118 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Payal Kapadia. In Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi with English subtitles. DCP.

The light, the lives, and the textures of contemporary, working-class Mumbai are explored and celebrated by writer/director Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for her revelatory fiction feature debut. 

PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light
Dec 21
PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light

118 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Payal Kapadia. In Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi with English subtitles. DCP.

The light, the lives, and the textures of contemporary, working-class Mumbai are explored and celebrated by writer/director Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for her revelatory fiction feature debut. 

PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light
Dec 22
PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light

118 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Payal Kapadia. In Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi with English subtitles. DCP.

The light, the lives, and the textures of contemporary, working-class Mumbai are explored and celebrated by writer/director Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for her revelatory fiction feature debut. 

PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light
Dec 26
PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light

118 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Payal Kapadia. In Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi with English subtitles. DCP.

The light, the lives, and the textures of contemporary, working-class Mumbai are explored and celebrated by writer/director Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for her revelatory fiction feature debut. 

PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light
Dec 27
PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light

118 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Payal Kapadia. In Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi with English subtitles. DCP.

The light, the lives, and the textures of contemporary, working-class Mumbai are explored and celebrated by writer/director Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for her revelatory fiction feature debut. 

PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light
Dec 28
PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light

118 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Payal Kapadia. In Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi with English subtitles. DCP.

The light, the lives, and the textures of contemporary, working-class Mumbai are explored and celebrated by writer/director Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for her revelatory fiction feature debut. 

PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light
Dec 29
PMA Films: All We Imagine as Light

118 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Payal Kapadia. In Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi with English subtitles. DCP.

The light, the lives, and the textures of contemporary, working-class Mumbai are explored and celebrated by writer/director Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for her revelatory fiction feature debut. 

Marquee PMA Programs

Stay up to date with the tried and true programs that define the PMA.

PMA Magazine
Art in Bloom
Art in Bloom

Featuring floral work by designers, artists, farmers, and florists from across southern Maine, the museum comes alive with fragrant blooms, extravagant displays, and incredible floral installations of all types—each inspired by an artwork from the museum’s collection.

Portland Press Herald: Society Notebook: Portland Museum of Art’s Summer Party is straight-up good time
Portland Press Herald: Society Notebook: Portland Museum of Art’s Summer Party is straight-up good time

"Museum supporters mingled in the sculpture garden, enjoying refreshments and each other."—The Portland Press Herald

Friends of the Collection
Friends of the Collection

The Friends of the Collection creates an opportunity for you to directly support the addition of specific artworks to the PMA’s collection, and this year’s acquisition focus is The Sights and Sounds of Night by Vincent Smith.

Youth Art Month is here!
Youth Art Month is here!

YAM is an annual exhibition showcasing the incredible talent in Maine’s art education programs.

Judy Glickman Lauder Lecture
Judy Glickman Lauder Lecture

The Judy Glickman Lecture provides in-depth insight into the people, perspectives, and culture of photography.

Barnet Scholars Lecture
Barnet Scholars Lecture

As one of the PMA’s marquee programs, The Barnet Scholars Lecture is designed to have an established scholar lead conversations with museum colleagues on topics related to 20th-century American art.

Nelson Social Justice Lecture
Nelson Social Justice Lecture

The Leonard and Merle Nelson Social Justice Fund honors artists whose commitment to social justice is manifested in their work.

PMA Bash
PMA Bash

Each year Winter Bash transforms the Portland Museum of Art into a vibrant and lively venue, bringing together the region’s most dynamic entrepreneurs, community leaders, and creatives. Experience the symphony of colors, textures, and forms, while savoring delectable bites and crafted cocktails. 

Bernard Osher Lecture Series
Bernard Osher Lecture Series

The PMA's flagship annual event, welcoming visionary cultural leaders, scholars, and thinkers to Maine.