Portland Museum of Art — Attraction in Portland

We visited on a late Saturday afternoon in mid-June 2025. We arrived with only about 2 hrs before the museum closed. Parking was a bit tricky but we found street parking about a block away.

We were prepared to use our NARM (North American Reciprocal Museum) Membership discount which included 2 free adults and kids under 21 are free. BUT It was the Pride Portland Open House. Free Admission All Day 10-6PM. There had a bunch of decorations inside and outside. They had free candies and other merch too. It was cool and very rainbow.

When you walk in there was a security guard and a info table to the left. The museum gift shop was just further back on the left. The gift shop was a fairly large size and had some really cool items for sale. The layout was a little confusing but I've been to way more complicated art museums. This one was actually a little bigger than I thought.

We started on the main floor we entered in and went all the way to the back of the museum. There were a number of themed rooms back here. I did get scolded by a staff member about taking photos in a section that didn't allow photos. To be fair the no photography signs were TINY and a little symbol on the info plaques for those pieces. I did complain that no one would see that. They told me it was because those pieces were on loan to the museum and with specific instructions that they are not to be photographed as it would decrease their value. Sounds dumb to me but I'm not the owner.

There is a large outdoor sculpture area but you have to enter it from the outside of the museum. The front desk lady said we could walk outside afterwards to visit it but that came to bite us in the butt because with 15 mins before closing we decided to head outside to see it and the gate was locked. We went back inside and the lady said oh, the staff must've locked it up early. Sorry... big eye roll...

Anyways we went upstairs and there were 3 floors up and a basement I well I think. The other floors were great with art of all type. There were a ton of very colorful pieces which I thought was very fitting for pride month. There are some awesome sculptures on the top floor included what the kids dubbed "seal torpedo". Also the diamond stag like Harry Potter's Patronus.

We did take the elevator up and then the stairs back down which were hilarious as there were tons of birds and seagulls hanging from the ceiling and there was a giant window covered in bird poop. I don't know if that was on purpose or not.

All the way in the basement there is a small cafe shop. There was no one there and we were not sure if they were open or not. The bathrooms and water fountains are also in the basement. There weren't very many people in the museum honestly. We only saw 5 or 6 groups the ENTIRE time.

Overall it was a great visit and we'd definitely visit again. Especially if the price is FREE. It was nice to have the museum mostly to ourselves. Most the other ones we visited on our road trip was SUPER packed. We sort of saw everything in those 2 hrs we were there (minus the outside sculptures) and had time to shop the gift shop. We did run through pretty quickly. I think 3 hrs would've been perfect and we have 3 kids. One of which is ADHD and...

Here is a little insight into the PMA. They are not providing a rewarding place of employment, nor are they a safe haven for artwork. Cronyism and ignorance make this museum a low-grade destination for professionals seeking work, a disorganized place for visiting art lovers, and a potentially vulnerable housing for the artwork itself.

The PMA is not living up to their own words. They advertised these points in their strategic plan a few years ago. Our vision: “… where a strong artistic vision and the collection drive conversation…”

Our values: “We believe in being active listeners and transparent partners, striving every day to earn the trust of our communities, audiences, and employees.”

I would like to ask, where is the transparency if you are physically removing criticism written by your patrons in a display meant to welcome comments about your new construction plans? Where again is the transparency when you are policing reviews and comments left by people online? When artwork (by a rather famous Robert Rauschenberg) is damaged due to lack of training and accountability amongst the museum’s employees, how is trust to be built within the community? I would strongly urge donors and loaners of art to make some serious inquiries if they are thinking of working with this museum!

I have listened to two personal accounts of rampant favoritism in the hiring and promotion system here at the PMA. It’s undeniable and despicable that people are hired and promoted into positions they are not qualified for, are then not trained to do their jobs, while others who are well-qualified and apply are ignored. The paths of those who find success here are lubricated by slimy favoritism based on family donations, personal favors, and a pathetically puerile click mentality bias amongst certain supervisors and managers. There also has been so much recent restructuring in the departments who work directly with the artwork galleries and visiting patrons, again with poor to no direct communication with feet on the ground regarding changes. It’s a miracle anyone even knows what they are doing there… and many times they do not! It is a shame that the great works here, as well as the visitors, are missing out on the conversations that could have been prompted by actually knowledgeable and passionate staff… those who felt forced out for such absurdly stupid reasons.

It is with great sadness that I write all of this down for the public eye, because I came wanting to love the fact that Portland had this great collection of art. The disappointment weighs heavy in my heart that this place is not what it appears from the outside. The public has had valid reasons to be distrustful of the building controversy, as well as the inner workings and true motivations behind the scenes. I certainly will not be visiting again, nor will I be making any...

As a disabled individual, I appreciate once again that the PMA lets visitors with electric mobility devices use them within the museum (not all museums, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, allow this). Visiting a museum is as much about evaluation and election--choosing WHAT work to spend your time with, WHAT path to follow through the labyrinth of the galleries--and this experience cannot be replicated with someone else pushing your wheelchair (many of us are not well enough to push our own).

The PMA's collection is strongest, in my opinion, in 19th- and early 20th-century art that has some kind of connection to Maine, New England, or the northeastern United States. There are several good Homers, from a variety of points in his career, and two fine N. C. Wyeth coastal/fishing scenes. There is a sublime Thomas Moran that must be among the most gorgeous pictures I've ever seen. The modern and contemporary work on the upper floors is, again in my opinion, less compelling overall, but still, of course, worth a look.

The museum itself, with its ziggurat design and upper galleries peaking down on those below, is always a treat to visit. The galleries are nicely scaled to the collection.

I do wish the price to enter were cheaper, but one can always visit late Friday afternoons for free admittance. The current North Atlantic Triennial is colorful and features works in a...