News Center Maine: Portland Museum of Art launches 'Art Outside and on the Trail'

By Hannah Yechivi
July 17, 2023

This segment appears on News Center Maine.

MAINE — The Portland Museum of Art has placed more than two dozen replicas of its collection outdoors. Most of the original pieces can be seen inside the walls of the museum, and this project is a way for Mainers and tourists to enjoy some of the art the museum has to offer as they walk, run, jog, and enjoy the great outdoors.

This year, the reproductions can be found in five parks in Southern Maine.

"By bringing these artworks out, it gives us the opportunity to introduce art to new audiences, and then hopefully make them feel like, 'Oh, maybe this is something I'd want to go see inside the space,'" Hayley Barton, the museum's marketing manager, said. "You'll notice that there are so many similarities between what's going on in the artwork and what's going on in the space that's around you when you can see it out here."

"Art Outside and On the Trail" is possible thanks to the sponsorship of L.L. Bean, the Maine Department of Agriculture, the Conservation and Forestry's Bureau of Parks and Land, and the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. 

These are the parks that have art pieces:

• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

  • 105 Botanical Gdns Drive, Boothbay, ME 04537

• Crescent Beach State Park

  • 109 Bowery Beach Rd, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107

• Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park

  • 426 Wolfe's Neck Road, Freeport, ME 04032

• Ferry Beach State Park

  • 5 Boardwalk Drive, Saco, ME 04072

• Range Pond State Park

  • 26 State Park Rd, Poland Spring, ME 04274

All people, including children, are invited to stop by the Portland Museum of Art to grab a free booklet that outlines activities people can do as they walk and visit all five trails. Once the booklet is fully completed, they can return it to the museum for a free one-year family membership.

Here is a link with all of the artwork that can be found along the five trails.