To Our Community
We strive to serve you through dynamic, inclusive, and engaging art experiences that bring us together and foster community. And as one of Maine’s oldest nonprofits, we take this responsibility seriously. The PMA will forever be in the public trust, and it is in that trust that we openly share a few present challenges for the museum, and the difficult decisions we’re making today to build a more sustainable tomorrow.
Like many museums, municipal, and cultural organizations, we continue to be adversely impacted by the instability of the COVID-19 pandemic. The museum was fortunate to receive ERC credits and PPP loans to maintain staffing and programmatic growth during unprecedented times, but the multi-year positive impact of this support will soon expire. As expenses continue to remain high and unpredictable, the real and persisting negative effects of this historic moment have necessitated changes in the PMA’s operations.
The museum is therefore reducing its staff size by thirteen positions. These positions include salaried managers and employees, as well as hourly employees. Frontline support staff, including Gallery Ambassadors and Security Associates, are not impacted by these reductions.
Like other museums of our size, nearly 70% percent of our operating budget covers wages and benefits, and in this challenging environment we need to reduce personnel expenses. We acknowledge the difficulties of restructuring, and this is a path we have worked to avoid. We are grateful to the individuals who have cared for your museum with professionalism and dedication. They have been foundational in fulfilling our Art For All mission and vision, and we take this step in full awareness and appreciation of their contributions to the museum and our communities.
The PMA, like other neighborhood businesses, also acknowledges that we are not immune to economic and urban stress, including the deterioration of the Congress Square neighborhood and inadequacies of our dated facilities. Since 2020, the museum has seen a 35% decrease in attendance because fewer visitors and workers are coming back to Congress Square and our spaces for programmatic growth are limited. We are carefully and collaboratively designing long-term plans for a stable and scalable future. In the meantime, we will continue to bring art into the PMA collection that expands narratives and creates conversation. We will maintain and care for our aging campus and find ways to unify and leverage our Congress Square location. And we will ensure our programs, events, and exhibitions support our mission of Art for All and values of courage, equity, service, sustainability, and trust.
Thank you for your continued support during these challenging times.