Meet Maine Here.
Our Apologies that Our Doors Are Closed….
The Maine State Museum is closed to allow significant repairs and upgrades to the building’s mechanical systems. We apologize that this necessary closure was unanticipated at this time.
We are very sorry for any inconvenience. See the latest information about the closure and renovation here.
A lot of people are asking what’s going on at the Maine State Museum. Since the museum is closed for now, we thought we’d fill you in with this video! If you never want to miss an update, please consider joining our email list:
Maine’s Bicentennial – An Interrupted Commemoration Resets and Continues
The year 2020 marked 200 years since Maine became a state. The year 2020 also brought unprecedented interruptions to Maine’s bicentennial events, as the coronavirus pandemic led to the cancellation of public gatherings, museum exhibitions, and commemorations of all types. As the video above explains, the pandemic brought a closure to the Maine State Museum as well. In addition, beginning in late June 2020, the museum had to cope with an even longer closure due to catastrophic failures in the museum building’s mechanical systems that made public use unsafe.
Nonetheless, the Maine State Museum and staff are persisting! The museum’s bicentennial exhibition is now available online at Regional Struggle, National Story: Maine’s Path to Statehood. For students and teachers, the museum has bicentennial materials available. Click here to visit our Maine Bicentennial Teaching Materials for Grades K-12.
Maine Quilts: 250 Years of Comfort and Community Exhibition Postponed to 2023
The opening of the museum’s blockbuster exhibition, Maine Quilts: 250 Years of Comfort and Community, has been rescheduled to Spring 2023. The delay is due to the museum’s extended closure for major heating and cooling system upgrades. In the meantime, watch for an announcement of the new book, Maine Quilts: 250 Years of Comfort and Community authored by the exhibition’s curator, Laurie LaBar and co-published by the Maine State Museum and Down East books.
Let us Bring the Museum to you!
Field trip season is a little different this year! In a typical fall season, thousands of students, teachers, and chaperones visit the museum for their annual class field trip. During the museum’s closure, we have converted our beloved scavenger hunt into a digital version. Now students can explore the museum from the classroom or from home through a series of interactive videos and digital worksheets.
