Portland museum gets closer to expansion with short list of potential architects – Mainebiz

The Portland Museum of Art, which plans an expansion in coming years, has come up with a short list of architects.

Earlier this year, the museumannounced plans for an $85 million expansionat 142 Free St. that would incorporate the former home of the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine.

To find an architecture team for its "campus unification and expansion" plan, the museum worked with New York City-based Dovetail Design Strategists.

On Aug. 11, the museum named four teams in the runningfor the project. They are:

The PMA has committed itself to a mission of art for all, and said principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as sustainability, will guide the selection process.

Nearly a third of the lead firms, or 30%, were founded or are owned by people of color; 16% were founded or are owned by women.

We are deeply moved by the diversity of experience and records of innovation represented in these submissions, said Mark H.C. Bessire, the Judy and Leonard Lauder Director of the Portland Museum of Art.

Our aspirations as a cultural institution are far greater than simply building a building, and when we launched the competition, we were curious to see if our colleagues in the architectural world were equally interested in the paradigm shift we were imagining. Turns out, they were.

The museum said it hopes to create centers of belonging and foster social change.

File Photo / Tim Greenway

Mark Bessire, director of the Portland Museum of Art

It was vital to us as jurors to ensure our unique character as a region was considered in thesubmissions, said PMA board member Kyo Bannai.

Portland and Maine are international destinations and proudly welcome visitors from around the world, yet this is due to a recognizable, evolving, and renowned cultural landscape that must be elevated and sustained through this new landmark building and competition.

The present museum has been virtually unchanged for the past four decades. The museum said it has made no increases in the number of galleries, visitor amenities or capacity.

InFebruary, the museum committed to an agreement to conduct and manage a design competition for the Campus Reunification Project for a contracted cost of $250,000 plus reimbursable expenses, according to its annual report.

The Campus Reunification Project seeks to unify the museums downtown Portland campus through construction at 142 Free St., which is the former Childrens Museum & Theatre of Maine. The PMA paid $2.1 million for the building in 2019.

With the expansion, the museum expects to add 60,000 square feet of flexible space with gallery and community space.

The museum collection includes some 18,000 objects. Its principal structure is the Charles Shipman Payson building, which was designed by I.M. Pei & Partners and opened in 1983. The PMA also owns the McLellan House, Charles Quincy Clapp House andL.D.M. Sweat Memorial Galleries, as well as the historic Winslow Home Studio on Prouts Neck in Scarborough.

Through Jan. 31, the museum had assets of $80.9 million. For the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, it had expenses of $8.6 million, according to its annual report.

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Portland museum gets closer to expansion with short list of potential architects - Mainebiz