A future together in trying times

Artists are often keenly aware of the times we are in and can even sometimes help us imagine the future as the present unfolds. In these trying times, the PMA exhibition, Carrie Moyer and Sheila Pepe: Tabernacles for Trying Times, which opened in February, is more relevant now than ever before. Having recently re-watched the artists’ video conversation from before the health crisis, I was inspired by how these artists were present in our times while trying to bring people together and successfully move us toward an energetically positive future.

 Since then, the future has been thrust upon us and we need each other even more. How do we harness the tragedy of this crisis and utilize its power to create structural change for a better future? Carrie and Sheila created a tabernacle to help us get there. It may be physically in the PMA, but the PMA is much more than a campus—it’s a spirit, a collection of shared values, the pride of Portland and Maine. And the tabernacle is a universal place not determined by space and time.

 The PMA’s doors may not open for a little while, but the spirit of the museum is still open and accessible on our digital platforms. I encourage you to visit us at portlandmuseum.org, follow us on social media, or sign up for our email lists, as we transform the tabernacle and expand our commitment to our community during these trying times. Just as it is unnatural for a museum to be closed to the public, it is unnatural for humans to live in isolation from one another. Maintaining physical distance is absolutely crucial right now, but we are meant to feel closeness and camaraderie with one another, to collaborate on a better future together, and to learn from each other’s differences and commonalities—which we can still do online.

These are difficult times for all of us, personally and professionally. It is easy to get swept up in fear and worry, forgetting all that is good and safe. It is important for us to reflect on the importance of our dedicated employees, and the community that we serve and are all a part of. True to our commitment to find our way together, the PMA’s priority is to ensure the safety and security of our colleagues. We have actively worked to empower them with information, and compensation through our current closure through April.

I speak for so much of my staff when I say we’ve discovered a deeper appreciation for the company of our colleagues, volunteers, and Trustees during this time. Perhaps you’ve discovered similar feelings for friends, colleagues, and acquaintances whose daily presences you might have taken for granted. Working at an art museum brings additional feelings of temporary loss: we deeply miss seeing our visitors and members every day, hearing the cheerful sounds of schoolchildren on tours, and drawing energy and inspiration from our public programs.

We’re all feeling isolated and disconnected in these trying times, but our shared humanity and the wonder of art can still bring us together. Please join Sheila and Carrie under their universal and virtual tabernacle at portlandmuseum.org to meditate, share stories, and come together to help heal each other in these “Trying Times” that I feel will be a defining moment in all of our lives forever. 

On behalf of all my colleagues, our volunteers, and the Board of Trustees I send to you the healing energy of your art that is in your PMA waiting for you when you return to the museum.

Stay connected,

Mark H. C. Bessire
Judy and Leonard Lauder Director