Welcome to the Portland Museum of Art!
This is The Year of Winslow Homer at the Portland Museum of Art! This exciting proclamation is the culmination of the intensive Winslow Homer Studio Campaign to transform the Portland Museum of Art for future generations of members and visitors. In addition to the increased activity leading to the fall opening of the Homer Studio and exhibition, Weatherbeaten: Winslow Homer and Maine, the word transformation can also be used to describe many areas of the Museum this year.
The Museum has added two new curators to the curatorial deparment. Karen Sherry will be the new Curator of American Art. She will play a national role in promoting research and scholarship on American art, Winslow Homer, and the significance of Maine in American art and cultural history. Karen will join the Museum staff in June.
The Museum's first dedicated position of Curator of Contemporary and Modern Art was recently created to help expand our contemporary art offerings in order to investigate not only local, but also national and global concerns. We are pleased to welcome Jessica May, who will also begin her tenure at the Museum in June.
Last year the Education Department underwent an extensive assessment resulting in an inspired change in name and a renewed focus on the visitor experience. Artists are coming to the Museum to engage in dialogue about collaboration across disciplines and media. The visitor experience at the Museum continues to be transformed in numerous other ways as well; for example, there is comfortable, locally-designed new seating in the Café, and our ability to maximize communication with our audiences has increased with the hiring of Sophia Mendoza.
Our partnerships with local businesses in many areas of the Museum continue to positively impact our capacity to present the highest caliber of exhibitions and programs to our members and audiences. We are deeply appreciative of the ongoing generosity of our members and friends throughout the community.
I invite you to come to the Museum often this spring and see how you will be transformed.
Mark Bessire
Director