The Portland Museum of Art will close for six weeks beginning January 2016 so the staff can reinstall its permanent collection throughout the museum.

The museum announced the closing Wednesday as part of its long-term strategic plan. The plan also includes an organizational change that gives contemporary art curator Jessica May the title of chief curator. She will oversee the museum’s collection of 18,000 objects and lead a curatorial team that includes American art curator Karen Sherry and European art curator Andrew Eschelbacher, who recently joined the museum. Diana Greenwold has been hired as a curatorial fellow.

The moves are part of a new initiative called “PMA 2016: Your Museum, Reimagined.” It is designed to position and prepare the PMA for additional growth, said director Mark Bessire.

“Museums continue to be under great pressure to be mission driven and economically sustainable, two qualities that can be difficult to reconcile but are highly valued at the Portland Museum of Art,” Bessire said in a press release. “Today, it is this juncture of mission and economic efficiency where many museums seem to be challenged. Our goal is to make our mission and artistic vision sustainable through the optimization of resources, excellent planning, and a strong work and volunteer force committed to excellence and integrity.”

The museum will close in early January 2016 and reopen Feb. 14, 2016. At that time, the permanent collection will be reinstalled, and visitors will have wider digital access to the collection. Additionally, the museum will produce a catalog of its collection and 130-year history. The catalog will include an essay by Maine historian Earle G. Shettleworth Jr.

The project also will include a campus master plan to guide the museum’s longterm physical growth.


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