Employees at SPACE Gallery in Portland’s Arts District have voted to unionize.
The gallery’s 21 staff members have joined the United Auto Workers Local 2110 Technical, Office and Professional Union, which represents workers in museums, cultural institutions, the publishing industry and education.
The effort was unanimously supported by the venue’s full- and part-time employees, including administrative and event staff.
SPACE workers are now part of the same union that represents workers at the Portland Museum of Art and several other cultural institutions, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium.
“Our decision to unionize is a reflection of our institutional values and principles at SPACE and a natural step forward for our nearly 25-year-old nonprofit organization,” the gallery said in a social media post.
“We believe that joining UAW 2110 will only strengthen SPACE, solidify our future and ensure we continue presenting arts, artists and ideas for years to come,” the post continued. “It is significant to us all to be joining the wider labor movement now, at a time when so many creative spaces and institutions are under attack.”
SPACE, located at 534-538 Congress St. in downtown Portland, hosts more than 200 events a year, including art exhibits, film screenings, live music and talks. The venue is near the Maine College of Art & Design.
SPACE had revenue of $1,178,429 in the most recent year tracked by GuideStar, according to the 2025 Mainebiz Giving Guide.
