Fulfilling the PMA’s Art for All mission through generous community spaces interwoven with 21st century galleries in a campus setting, the design combines the urban scale of downtown in generous galleries with intimate settings at the visitor scale in new harbor spaces and a living room for local communities. The diaphanous building evokes Maine’s historic marine industry buildings as well as the artist studio typology while remaining flexible, adaptive, and future-forward.

The unique quality of Maine’s natural light is a source of inspiration for Maine’s artists. Our scheme invites visitors to experience this light in an authentic way. The sawtooth skylights and glazed facades filter light into the interior galleries and community spaces, while the porous atrium informally flows between the north and south entries, the new building, Payson, McLellan and Clapp House.