That's a wrap for Art in Bloom 2023!

Art in Bloom arrived at the PMA just at the right time to get us out of the winter doldrums and feel the spring vibes

This year marked the largest Art in Bloom in recent history, with 21 floral designers creating art-inspired arrangements in the galleries. The designers brought their artwork inspirations to life with floral arrangements, and we were lucky enough to catch some of them in the galleries making their final touches!

The galleries bloomed with visitors all week to experience these arrangements. (Yes, the flowers smelled as good as they looked.) Audiences also enjoyed special floral programming including a centerpiece workshop with Katie Lovins of Clo Floral, auditorium programs with Wild Seed Project and Backyard Blooms, musical performances by Portland Symphony Orchestra and Katie Oberholtzer Quartet, and more.

Thank you to the over 5,000 visitors who explored the galleries and made this year’s Art in Bloom an event to remember! The energy and excitement continues with upcoming programs like Slow Art Day, Third Thursdays, Family Day, and more, so save the dates and register today.

Programs & Events
Noontime Gallery Talk: Ann Craven
May 30
Noontime Gallery Talk: Ann Craven

Deeply connected to Maine, where she lives and works part of the year, Craven finds inspiration in its landscapes, skies, and ever-changing light. Her internationally celebrated work captures fleeting moments with bold color and expressive brushwork, offering a profound connection between observation, imagination, and the passage of time. Spotlight: Ann Craven is part of a statewide collaboration celebrating the artist’s impact and vision.

Public Symposium “Reflecting Forward: Learning from American Art Reinstallations”
May 31
Public Symposium “Reflecting Forward: Learning from American Art Reinstallations”

Reflecting Forward: Learning from American Art Reinstallations This public symposium will bring together scholars, educators, and artists to explore how lessons from reinstallation projects in partnership with Indigenous communities can create sustained change in American art scholarship, exhibitions, and collection stewardship.

PMA Films: Caught by the Tides
Jun 1
PMA Films: Caught by the Tides

111 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Jia Zhangke. In Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles. DCP.

Master filmmaker Jia Zhangke (Ash Is Purest White) observes China’s rapid growth and social transformation in the 21st century through a combination of narrative and documentary footage shot over the past generation.

PMA Films: The Maine Mayhem Film Festival (Free screening)
Jun 1
PMA Films: The Maine Mayhem Film Festival (Free screening)

150 minutes (approximate). Not Rated. Various directors. In English.

The Maine Mayhem Film Festival is held in May of each year and showcases films by second year Communications and New Media students at Southern Maine Community College. Now in its 15th year, this year’s event will contain eight featured short films and 16 micro shorts.

Artist Talk: Bhasha Chakrabarti in Conversation
Jun 5
Artist Talk: Bhasha Chakrabarti in Conversation

Join artist Bhasha Chakrabarti as she explores artmaking as a process of mending—both literally and metaphorically. Challenging the traditional view of mending as a mundane act, Chakrabarti transforms it into a creative gesture that confronts fragility, vulnerability, and impermanence.

Noontime Talk: Jo Sandman: Skin Deep
Jun 6
Noontime Talk: Jo Sandman: Skin Deep

Join Anjuli Lebowitz, Judy Glickman Lauder Curator of Photography at PMA, for an engaging gallery talk on Jo Sandman: Skin Deep, exploring the artist’s profound connection to materiality and form. 

PMA Films: Caught by the Tides
Jun 6
PMA Films: Caught by the Tides

111 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Jia Zhangke. In Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles. DCP.

Master filmmaker Jia Zhangke (Ash Is Purest White) observes China’s rapid growth and social transformation in the 21st century through a combination of narrative and documentary footage shot over the past generation.

PMA Films: Caught by the Tides
Jun 7
PMA Films: Caught by the Tides

111 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Jia Zhangke. In Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles. DCP.

Master filmmaker Jia Zhangke (Ash Is Purest White) observes China’s rapid growth and social transformation in the 21st century through a combination of narrative and documentary footage shot over the past generation.

PMA Films: Caught by the Tides
Jun 8
PMA Films: Caught by the Tides

111 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Jia Zhangke. In Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles. DCP.

Master filmmaker Jia Zhangke (Ash Is Purest White) observes China’s rapid growth and social transformation in the 21st century through a combination of narrative and documentary footage shot over the past generation.

PMA Films: "David Lynch: Only in Dreams": The Elephant Man (1980)
Jun 8
PMA Films: "David Lynch: Only in Dreams": The Elephant Man (1980)

124 minutes. Rated PG. Directed by David Lynch. In English. DCP.

David Lynch’s anguished and sensitive portrait of John Merrick, nominated for eight Academy Awards, continues our retrospective of feature films by the late director.

Noontime Talk: "Painting Energy" with Tom Burckhart
Jun 13
Noontime Talk: "Painting Energy" with Tom Burckhart

Join artist Tom Burckhardt for an informal conversation in the galleries about his work featured in Painting Energy: The Alex Katz Foundation Collection at the Portland Museum of Art.

Drawing in the Galleries
Jun 13
Drawing in the Galleries

Visit the museum for drop-in drawing sessions in the galleries during Free Friday hours!  

Get creative! Join us every 2nd Friday for Drawing in the Galleries during Free Friday. We’ll provide the materials—you bring the inspiration! No experience needed, just drop in and sketch surrounded by art. 

PMA Films: "Summer of '75": Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
Jun 14
PMA Films: "Summer of '75": Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

201 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Chantal Akerman. In French with English subtitles. DCP.

Named the “greatest film of all time” in Sight & Sound’s 2022 poll of film critics, Chantal Akerman’s endlessly engaging feminist masterpiece kicks off a series of landmark films from 1975.

PMA Films: "Summer of '75": Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
Jun 15
PMA Films: "Summer of '75": Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

201 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Chantal Akerman. In French with English subtitles. DCP.

Named the “greatest film of all time” in Sight & Sound’s 2022 poll of film critics, Chantal Akerman’s endlessly engaging feminist masterpiece kicks off a series of landmark films from 1975.

PMA Films: "David Lynch: Only in Dreams": The Straight Story (1999)
Jun 15
PMA Films: "David Lynch: Only in Dreams": The Straight Story (1999)

112 minutes. Rated G. Directed by David Lynch. In English.

Lynch’s most surprising feature, about a man who drives his lawnmower to visit his estranged brother, continues our retrospective of feature films by the late director.

Access for All on Third Thursday
Jun 19
Access for All on Third Thursday

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

Performance: Art with Arias | Opera Maine
Jun 20
Performance: Art with Arias | Opera Maine

The PMA and Opera Maine's prestigious Studio Artist Program present a special summer engagement. Tenor Jack Hicks will perform a diverse repertoire spanning multiple genres in response to artworks in the PMA collection.

PMA Films: Tangerine (2015) (Free Pride Portland Screening)
Jun 21
PMA Films: Tangerine (2015) (Free Pride Portland Screening)

88 minutes. Rated R. Directed by Sean Baker. In English. DCP.

Oscar phenom Sean Baker’s (Anora) breakthrough film is a hilarious and trenchant one-crazy-night odyssey through various subcultures of Los Angeles. A free screening for Portland Pride.

PMA Films: "David Lynch: Only in Dreams": Inland Empire (2006)
Jun 22
PMA Films: "David Lynch: Only in Dreams": Inland Empire (2006)

180 minutes. Rated R. Directed by David Lynch. In English and Polish with English subtitles. DCP.

David Lynch’s final feature film – the great work of early digital cinema – is an epic tumble through the rabbit hole, featuring a career-best performance by Laura Dern.

Noontime Talk: Artist Talk with Marcus Leslie Singleton
Jun 27
Noontime Talk: Artist Talk with Marcus Leslie Singleton

Hear from artist Marcus Leslie Singleton as he discusses his work in Painting Energy: The Alex Katz Foundation Collection at the Portland Museum of Art. Singleton shares his influences and how his work connects everyday moments with vivid color and energy that radiates from canvas to viewer.

2025 Nelson Social Justice Fund Lecture
Jun 27
2025 Nelson Social Justice Fund Lecture

Multidisciplinary artist Chase Hall explores race, identity, and history through narratives of power, earning him recognition as an essential voice in American contemporary art today.

PMA Films: "Summer of '75": The Passenger (1975)
Jun 28
PMA Films: "Summer of '75": The Passenger (1975)

126 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. In English, German, Spanish, and French with English subtitles. DCP.

Michelangelo Antonioni’s stunning existentialist travelogue and romantic thriller, starring a rarely-better Jack Nicholson, screens as part of a series of landmark films from 1975.

PMA Films: "Summer of '75": The Passenger (1975)
Jun 29
PMA Films: "Summer of '75": The Passenger (1975)

126 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. In English, German, Spanish, and French with English subtitles. DCP.

Michelangelo Antonioni’s stunning existentialist travelogue and romantic thriller, starring a rarely-better Jack Nicholson, screens as part of a series of landmark films from 1975.

PMA Films: "David Lynch: Only in Dreams": Wild at Heart (1990)
Jun 29
PMA Films: "David Lynch: Only in Dreams": Wild at Heart (1990)

124 minutes. Rated R. Directed by David Lynch. In English. DCP.

Edgy and controversial, David Lynch’s road-tripping neo-noir fantasia, starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern, concludes our retrospective of the director’s work.

PMA Films: "Summer of '75": Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Jul 12
PMA Films: "Summer of '75": Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

92 minutes. Rated PG. Directed by Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones. In English. DCP.

Monty Python’s first original feature film, an irreverent and classic riff on Arthurian legend, screens as part of a series of landmark films from 1975.

PMA Films: "Summer of '75": Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Jul 13
PMA Films: "Summer of '75": Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

92 minutes. Rated PG. Directed by Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones. In English. DCP.

Monty Python’s first original feature film, an irreverent and classic riff on Arthurian legend, screens as part of a series of landmark films from 1975.

Access for All on Third Thursday - Maine Marimba Ensemble
Jul 17
Access for All on Third Thursday - Maine Marimba Ensemble

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

Lecture: Artists in Conversation – Ann Craven and Jay Stern
Jul 24
Lecture: Artists in Conversation – Ann Craven and Jay Stern

Artists Ann Craven and Jay Stern come together for a conversation on their creative processes and inspirations. Craven, known for her vibrant, emotive paintings, explores themes of nature, memory, and repetition. Stern’s expressive oil paintings delve into memory, time, and transformation, offering a layered perspective on artistic expression.

PMA Films: "Summer of '75": Xala (1975)
Jul 26
PMA Films: "Summer of '75": Xala (1975)

123 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Ousmane Sembène. In French and Wolof with English subtitles. DCP.

A brilliant and unsparing satire of patriarchy and political corruption, Ousmane Sembène’s masterpiece screens as part of a series of landmark films from 1975.

PMA Films: "Summer of '75": Grey Gardens (1975)
Aug 9
PMA Films: "Summer of '75": Grey Gardens (1975)

94 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by David Maysles, Albert Maysles, Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer. In English. DCP.

An enormously influential (and entertaining) verité documentary as notable for its fashion as its singular view into an American dynasty, Grey Gardens screens as part of a series of landmark films from 1975.

 
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