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Activities for Home | PMA Classroom | Events for Families | Membership
The PMA is committed to collaborating with local organizations to foster meaningful partnerships and create unique experiences that help advance arts and culture in our community. Partners include Portland Public Schools, Indigo Arts Alliance, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Portland Ballet, Akomawt Educational Initiative, A Company of Women, Bicycle Coalition of Maine, Learning Works, Maine Art Education Association, Maine Humanities Council, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), NAACP-Portland, Maine Jewish Film Festival, Maine Youth Rock Orchestra, The Telling Room, and many others, demonstrating our continued dedication to engaging disparate organizations throughout the greater Portland region.
The PMA is pleased to offer the Homer Colby Fellowship as a means of supporting Colby College’s educational mission, and as part of the museum’s Art for All mission. The Homer Colby Fellow works closely with Curatorial and Learning and Community Collaboration staff on the ongoing reinterpretation of the Winslow Homer Studio and initiatives related to audience building and accessibility. Rising sophomore, junior, senior, or graduating senior students at Colby College are eligible to apply each spring through Davis Connects.
The Homer Colby Fellow at the Portland Museum of Art is supported by the Lunder Homer Education Fund.
Educational outreach and the PMA Learn page are made possible by the Madelyn Busker Cohen Fund.
Activities for Home
Looking for the perfect winter activity? We’ve got you covered–make your own paper lantern at home!
In response to the collages featured in the David Driskell: Icons of Nature and History exhibition, artist Rachel Gloria Adams designed an all-ages art-making activity for home or anywhere you like to create.
In this activity, consider how Village of Monhegan, Maine by Emil Bisttram uses a limited color palette to create a mood and use this knowledge to create a collage using common materials found at home.
Inspired by Ghetto Wall #2 by David Driskell, generate ideas with a poetry brainstorming activity and a visual symbolism exercise to create a found material mixed media collage that reflects your personal experiences.
Several artists in the PMA’s collection depict windows in their artworks as a symbol of openness, hope, and to bring together two different perspectives. For this activity, we will draw inspiration from the window views in our own homes to create a drawing.
Robert Indiana used words as a central theme in his artwork to express the power of language. For this activity, we will choose a single word as the main focus of our artwork to inspire comfort and hope.
Justin Richel creates sculptures by stacking objects on top of each other to build tall, playful columns that tell a story. In this activity, we will use books to create a stacked sculpture with words.
Learn how to stage self-portraits at home and how artists have long used self-portraits as various forms of self-expression.
Best for ages 8 and up.
In this activity, we'll be folding small boxes and then filling them with images, ideas, or words that relate to the things we hold dear to us. All that is required is knowing what you love, a little creativity, and a few basic materials!.
Explore Carrie Moyer’s "Intergalactic Emoji Factory" using movement as a way to connect with the lines and expressive paint layers in this artwork. Movement helps us look at artwork in new and different ways.
Recommended for ages 2-8, and the young at heart.
Use your senses to examine Monet's The Seine at Vétheuil and come up with a list of descriptive words. Then, use these words to create a haiku poem meant to be shared with someone.
Recommended for ages 6 and up.
Carrie Moyer and Sheila Pepe talk about collaboration as being fun, playful, and experimental. In this activity, you will work with another artist to create two collaborative drawings. You will use a window in your home as a way to observe and frame life outside.
Ages 5 and up.
Dahlov Ipcar’s Blue Savanna is full of animals! Each of these creatures is doing something; some are running, some are jumping, and some are making animal sounds. Take some time to look at this amazing painting, and see if you can answer the questions below.
Best for ages 3-8
Try three different writing activities based on Jeffrey Gibson’s PEOPLE LIKE US.
Best for ages 6 and up
Amy Johnson, Associate Educator for Interpretation at the PMA, walks you through how to make a mini-monument.
This video is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Carrie Moyer and Sheila Pepe: Tabernacles for Trying Times.
Businesses are currently closed, but did you know that your own home or backyard can be an art supply store?
The perfect all-ages activity to relax, have fun, and take your mind off the crisis for a few.
Portland High School Advanced Art students and the PMA collaborated to explore themes including memory, conflict, or identity through abstraction.
PMA Classroom
PMA Classroom is a digital space for you and your classroom—however you define it. No matter the age group you work with or the setting you teach in, these resources are designed with your needs in mind. At the PMA, we believe that a classroom can be any place where learning, critical thinking, questioning, and open dialogue happens. Discover downloadable, curriculum-based lesson plans and bring art education into your family’s school day.
Upcoming Kid and Family Programs
It’s easy to find incredible experiences for people of all ages, from Family Days, films, lectures, and talks, to annual events, Teen nights, and more. Come by, drop in, and enjoy.
Upcoming Programs For Educators
A Membership For Every Lifestyle
From free admission for young adults, teens, and children, to affordable plans for the grown-ups too, you belong at the PMA.
SKP means everyone 21 and under visits for free. Get more out of your museum experience with invitations to fun events, select free film screenings, and more with the Susie Konkel Pass.
The membership level with room for growth—bring children and a guest every time you visit and enjoy the full family experience, all year long.
Marquee Programs for Kids & Teens
YAM is an annual exhibition showcasing the incredible talent in Maine’s art education programs.
We believe that visitors of all ages should have the opportunity to exercise their creative minds through active participation and learning, and The Workshop is an open-ended space for to engage with the PMA through interactive exploration.
Our educational experiences for pre-K to 12th grade students use authentic works of art to inspire and encourage critical thinking and to make real-world connections.
Tricks of the Trade
Everything you ever wanted to know about visiting the PMA with the fam.
Explore the PMA with our digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, taking you behind the scenes with exclusive multimedia perspectives from artists, curators, and more.
The Portland Museum of Art seeks to create an inclusive space that champions open expression and makes art accessible to all. Learn more about our services and policies to plan your next visit.
A digital version of the PMA Map is available in Arabic, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Somali, and Chinese.
We have activities and amenities for families of all sizes, including our family museum guides, gallery activities, and a whole variety of kid-centric events.
Our educational experiences for pre-K to 12th grade students use authentic works of art to inspire and encourage critical thinking and to make real-world connections.
Family reunion, company retreat, or a wedding party? Whatever your reason, we have customizable group tours for your group of 10 or more.
Take a Stand for Art
Supporting the PMA strengthens kids, families, and the community
PMA programs offer a wide range of experiences about issues that matter. The museum’s public programs reach more than 54,000 visitors annually and are designed for visitors of all ages and backgrounds.
By supporting the Annual Fund, you demonstrate the values of promoting Maine's cultural heritage, offering representation for people throughout our diverse neighborhoods, prompting crucial discussions about contemporary concerns, and enriching the state's creative economy.
Educational outreach and the PMA Learn page are made possible by the Madelyn Busker Cohen Fund.
Additional student and teacher programming at the PMA is made possible by the Beatrice Gilmore Endowment for Museum Education, the Charles A. Came Educational Fund, the Katherine K. Monks Education Fund, the Sam L. Cohen Foundation, the Sibley-Saltonstall Charitable Foundation, the Rachel F. Armstrong Fund, the Peggy L. Osher Learning and Interpretation Endowment, and Unum. Supported in part by a grant from the Onion Foundation.