Welcome to the Portland Museum of Art!
We successfully launched 2013 with the exhibition Lois Dodd: Catching the Light--more than 600 members and guests braved the snow to hear Lois Dodd in conversation with art critic Karen Wilkin. It is a thrill for the PMA to offer programming that reaches out to so many visitors and there is much more to come. We are looking ahead to a year of innovative and engaging exhibitions and programs, from the traditional to the contemporary, rooted in Maine, Tanzania, and places in between.
Many of you experienced the significant, moving moment of viewing Winslow Homer's incredible Fox Hunt in the exhibition Weatherbeaten: Winslow Homer and Maine. This was the first time the painting was displayed in Maine since Homer created it in 1893. The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism will bring you more of those moments, courtesy of the stunning collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). I encourage you to seize the opportunity to immerse yourself in masterpieces such as Pablo Picasso's Boy Leading a Horse.
I'm also excited to share that our new Director of Development, Elizabeth (Liz) Cartland, officially joined our staff in February. Liz is a skilled fundraiser and experienced manager who brings leadership, energy, and a passion for the arts, and we are excited to have her join the team as we work to advance the culture of philanthropy at the PMA.
It was four years ago that the museum welcomed me as Director of the Portland Museum of Art. I am grateful every day for your support, and am continually inspired by your passion for the PMA. Thank you.
Visit soon, visit often. See you at the PMA!
Mark Bessire
Director