Portland Press Herald: Opinion: PMA’s plans reflect vision of art for all

The museum's Blueprint expansion was borne of community involvement, a love of art and a commitment to making it available to as many as possible.

This article orginally appears in the Portland Press Herald. Read it here.

Special to the Press Herald
by Elizabeth McCandless
Published July 19, 2024
Updated July 19, 2024

Museums have always been more than just places to look at what’s hanging on the walls. To me, they have been sanctuaries.

Growing up in New York City at a time when Central Park was dangerous, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Museum of Modern Art were safe havens. They were the places that my 22-year-old aunt could bring me, her 8-year-old niece.

It was in those art museums that I learned about history, different cultures and beauty. I also learned how to imagine a life bigger than our apartment on 100th Street at the edge of Spanish Harlem.

Those childhood visits shaped my life’s path.

Thirty-nine years ago, I left New York with a newborn and 2-year-old. The Portland Museum of Art, and the new Payson building, was one of the reasons Portland was our first choice for a new home.

Those afternoons with my aunt are most certainly why I now have the privilege of serving as the president of the Board of Trustees of the PMA.

For more than a decade, the PMA has worked to develop a vision that will expand access to art to more people, and that will help our museum to remain vibrant. The museum invited the community to join that conversation and to help us chart a path for growth, sustainability and greater service to our community.

The PMA Blueprint lays out our plan to build a new addition at 142 Free St., where the former Children’s Museum was located. In May, the Portland City Council agreed with our plans and determined that the building doesn’t contribute to the Congress Street Historic District.

We understand that people with good intentions may hold differing views. Every member of the PMA Board of Trustees acknowledges the significance of historic preservation. Additionally, we firmly believe that a new addition to Congress Square is essential for our neighborhood, our city and for all who reside in and visit this area.

I speak not only for myself, but for the Board of Trustees and PMA leadership when I say how sad we are about the divisiveness within the community. The past several months have been difficult for everyone.

But art has always been a unifying force. It transcends boundaries and invites dialogue, making it a powerful tool for bringing people together.

The PMA, like our city and our state, is changing, and with those changes come significant challenges — and opportunities. The PMA Blueprint was created to make possible the museum’s mission of “Art for All.”

We strive not only to showcase extraordinary works, but also to adhere to our vision of being “a central gathering place where a strong artistic vision and the collection drive the conversation, creativity, cultural vitality and economic impact.”

The enthusiastic response to the Jeremy Frey exhibition that opened in May is compelling and inspiring. From the Press Herald to The New York Times, “Woven” has been recognized for presenting a comprehensive collection of works that are intricate, mesmerizing and expressive. Frey’s prodigious skill and prolific creative output both honors and transforms one of the oldest art forms in the Northeast, basket weaving.

Such exhibitions not only enrich our cultural landscape, but also challenge us to think critically and empathetically about the world around us. This is the exact framework the PMA intends to deliver with our campus unification and expansion project.

The PMA Blueprint will provide much-needed space for our growing collection, while also inspiring creativity and innovation in Maine.

As I reflect on my own experience and the responsibility of my new role, I am reminded of the transformative power of museums. They are not just repositories of artifacts and stewards of history; they are living, breathing spaces that invite us to explore, learn and grow.

I am also reminded of the wonderful truth that art opens minds. It helps people understand their history and culture, as well as the history, culture and experiences of others. Art chronicles history and encourages on-going social and political commentary. Most of all, art fosters understanding between diverse groups of people and is a source of inspiration, reflection and joy — things we are in desperate need of these days.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth McCandless is the president of the Portland Museum of Art Board of Trustees.