The Portland Museum of Art’s Blueprint Project reflects years of thoughtful, collaborative, disciplined economic planning. The PMA is healthy and planning for a remarkable, sustainable and successful future.

In his op-ed of April 25 (“Portland Museum of Art appears to have lost its way”), former museum director Daniel O’Leary used multiple statistics that materially misrepresented the state of the Portland Museum of Art. We would like to set the record straight.

Dr. O’Leary wrote that the PMA endowment has suffered since his departure. At the time of his departure in 2008, the museum’s endowment was $33 million (not $36 million as stated). It immediately fell to $22 million over the subsequent year, a victim of the market collapse during the 2008 financial crisis. The endowment is currently valued above $50 million.

Like the endowment, philanthropy support and attendance at the museum has continued to grow. The museum has a higher sustained attendance than in previous years. Between 1993 and 2007, the average yearly attendance was around 140,000 people. From 2008 to present, despite the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, the average yearly attendance is around 151,000.

The museum has also focused on significantly expanding its reach. Today, thanks to initiatives like the David E. Shaw and Family Sculpture Park, Free Fridays, Third Thursdays, and the Susie Konkel Pass, tens of thousands of visitors enter the museum every year free of charge. In fact, 38% of our guests enter free of charge. In addition, what is not calculated in these numbers is the dramatic increase in the museum’s digital reach: The PMA’s entire collection and special exhibitions are now accessible online.

PMA staff and trustees are responsible for ensuring that the museum’s operations are sustainable. The museum has been transparent and shared with the public in February that paid admission revenue has not yet rebounded to pre-pandemic levels and that pandemic-era federal funding was soon ending.

Thanks to the prudent use of federal funds spread over multiple years, along with admissions and public support, the museum has been able to increase attendance, introduce additional free-to-the-public days, grow the endowment, expand its art collection by over $30 million (not included in the endowment figures) and accomplish multiple other goals outlined in its strategic plan.

A balanced operating budget is critical. We have a responsibility to make sure that our operations are sustainable and that revenue streams are diverse. Sometimes this means reducing expenses and can also mean making difficult staffing decisions.

As the PMA builds for the future with its planned expansion at 142 Free Street, we recognize that none of us have a crystal ball. But here’s what we can say for certain: the new wing of the museum will introduce open and accessible community spaces to a broader audience, it will give us the room to grow our collections, and it will allow us to welcome new visitors and supporters to the museum. Now, poised for the next phase of growth, we can ensure the long-term financial integrity of the PMA and maintain its place in the public trust. As financial stewards of the museum, we owe that to the entire community. Art for All matters, whether Dr. O’Leary agrees or not.

The City of Portland has a tremendous opportunity to approve a beautiful new space that is specifically designed to serve the arts and welcome new generations. The new wing will be an architecturally significant landmark building and a major cultural and economic driver for Portland’s arts district.

As our plans are considered, we know that facts matter.

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