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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 JA N UA R Y 2 5 , 2 0 1 6 accompanying exhibition, "Weatherbeaten: Winslow Homer and Maine," broke attendance records and helped the museum boost its membership by 20%. Both the studio restoration and exhibition gen- erated positive national press for PMA, underscor- ing what Bessire sees as the ongoing relevance of Winslow Homer and the museum's other Maine- centered artists to audiences beyond the boundaries of the state. "Art that is made in Maine is part of a national conversation," he says. But he also acknowledges the museum can't sustain yearly blockbuster exhibitions featuring big- name artists to keep that momentum going. "Museums have seen in the recent past that the notion of the 'blockbuster' show is fading," he says. " at's because all of this energy goes into it and it's a moment that's special. But so quickly after the blockbuster, the members you might have gained often don't stay. It's not worth all of that energy unless you can hold onto the gain. So the idea was: 'We had spent so much time on the Homer studio campaign, let's refocus back on the collection.'" Maine's business leaders have been key sources of inspiration. From the example of the late Leon Gorman, longtime president of L.L.Bean, Bessire says he gleaned lessons about the importance of brand management and customer service. From Tom Chappell, co-founder of Tom's of Maine and author of "Managing Upside Down: Seven Intentions for Values-Centered Leadership," he learned the value of empowering each of PMA's 80 or so employees to take ownership of the museum's challenges. And from New York Times business writer Adam Bryant's "Quick and Nimble: Lessons from Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation," he's learned to build the notion of con- tinuous improvement into the museum's day-to-day operations "by always being prepared to fi nd the opportunity in change." "When you acknowledge change, you make pos- sibilities happen," Bessire says. "When you create great projects, you create momentum. at adds value not only to the institution but to the personal goals of our very professional staff ." Adding smart phone apps and other interac- tive displays that will allow viewers to go deeper into an artwork's historical context are among the changes being explored that take advantage of rapid advances in digital technology. e key, he says, will be to balance the "value-added experience" that's possible with digital technology against the traditional and still important notion of a museum as "one of the few places you can go and have an unmediated experience with a work of art." A much more complex challenge in the museum's reimagining is the top-to-bottom reinstallation of sev- eral fl oors of exhibition galleries, with a key objective being to make those spaces as surprising and interest- ing to members as they will be to fi rst-time visitors. "Very little has changed in this building since it opened," Bessire says of the 1983 Charles Shipman Payson wing. "We were fi nding that fi rst-time visi- tors would go to all three buildings of the museum, but our members typically spent their time only in the Payson building. We had resources that we weren't sharing or making energetic enough for our members to visit those other buildings. So we want to reinstall those spaces to reenergize them." A fi rst step began in January with a three-week closure of the museum to paint walls and refi nish fl oors. Curators also used that time to transform the Payson building's fourth fl oor with a thematic exhibit, "Modern Menagerie," featuring whimsi- cal animal sculptures by the late Bernard Langlais along with paintings and drawings of animals by Dahlov Ipcar and other Maine artists. at installation's eclectic mix of genres and medi- ums, Bessire says, off ers a hint of what's to come in 2017, when the museum will close again for several weeks next January to reinstall the galleries on its fi rst, second and third fl oors of the Charles Shipman Payson Building for a public reopening in February 2017. "Traditional galleries would have painting and sculpture in one area and photography and works on paper in another area, and then decorative arts and furniture in another," he says. "But art doesn't happen in a vacuum. If you're a furniture-maker or a print- maker or a photographer or a painter in 1920, you're impacted by your life of being an artist in 1920. So why not bring all that work together, to have the full holistic feeling of an art movement by having all the arts being shown together? Why not start breaking down those boundaries and hierarchies?" All told, 57 donors have committed $2.27 million to the multi-year "Your Museum, Reimagined" project, which carries a $4.67 million price tag for three distinct "buckets," representing projects deemed "essential," "funding dependent" and "aspirational." Like the fund- raising eff ort for the Homer studio campaign, there's been signifi cant out-of-state support — 53% — which Bessire says supports his argument that the museum's importance and relevance extends beyond Maine. " at's something we're very proud of," he says. "We've created a project that not just people in Maine want to identify with, there are other people from outside the state who think we are doing good work as well. And we need to expand that base so we're not always asking the same people for funds." Bill Williamson, Bank of America's Maine state president, whose bank provided a $100,000 corpo- rate sponsorship toward the museum's 2012 Winslow Homer exhibition, embraces the PMA's eff orts to reimagine itself. "What Mark is trying to do is to keep pace with new ways of presenting artwork, while broadening the museum's reach so that it can continue to be a great gathering place for people to see art and connect with each other," he says. Felicia Knight, president of the board of directors of Portland Ovations, another linchpin of the city's creative economy that puts roughly $2.5 million into the local economy every year, sees the museum as a key ally of the city's many arts and cultural organizations. "Mark understands that competition among Portland's arts organizations isn't nearly as productive as collaboration," she says. "And Mark's 'reimagining' of the PMA should not be seen as a rebuff to what it is or has been throughout its history. Rather, he's embrac- ing all of PMA's strengths and repositioning them for future growth , which is vital to a vibrant future." JameS McCarthY, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at JmccarthY @ mainebiz.biz and @ JameSMainebiz Get engaged, inspired and connected with a print + digital subscription to Mainebiz. You'll receive bi-weekly issues, special publications and full online access! Know Maine Business. Or call: 845.267.3008 Subscribe online: mainebiz.biz/knowmainebiz Open 4:30AM tO 1AM Or lAter. Drive 100 yards past baggage claim, look for our green sign. www.parknjetportland.com 747-5650 get your oil changed while yOu're AwAy Valet parking AirpOrt per day $10

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