Courtesy / Maine MILL
Rendering of the planned Maine MILL.
February 6, 2023
Lewiston-Auburn museum reveals new name, home, fundraising campaign
Courtesy / Maine MILL
A rendering of Museum L-A's planned Maine MILL, to be located in the Camden Yarns building at 1 Beech St.
Museum L-A has launched a $17 million fundraising campaign for a new home as it rebrands itself as the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning, and Labor (Maine MILL).
The Lewiston-Auburn community museum recently received $500,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities towards its goal. To date, it has raised $6 million toward the fundraising goal.
Museum L-A was founded in 1996 and opened its doors in 2004. Now located at 35 Canal St., it will be moving to the former Camden Yarns building at 1 Beech St.
The museum’s name change is part of a new brand identity and its new mission, which is to "celebrate the told and untold stories of workers to foster community connections and inspire future creativity and ingenuity," according to the Maine MILL website.
“We’re thrilled to be unveiling our new direction," said Executive Director Rachel Ferrante. "Our ultimate goal is to elevate this important history and culture museum into a regional icon. This rebranding process is a critical early step.”
Museum supporters aim to bring visitors back in time with exhibits and examples of textile, shoe, and brickmaking industries in the Lewiston and Auburn area. The museum will also feature a virtual exhibit about child labor in Maine's mills.
Courtesy / Maine MILL
Rendering of the planned Maine MILL.
According to a prepared release, work on the project began more than a year ago with Auburn-based Warp + Weft. The branding agency worked with the museum, conducted research, looked to peers around the state and across the country, and held focus groups with stakeholders that represented a broad cross-section of the community with diverse backgrounds, groups with numerous stakeholders representing a broad cross-section of the community. The feedback included the desire to tell a wider, more inclusive story and create a cultural destination for Lewiston-Auburn.
“A name change is never to be undertaken lightly,” said Mike Rancourt, chair of Maine MILL’s board of directors. "The whole Maine MILL board was deeply impressed by the care and thought that went into this process. As someone who sees a lot of my own personal history in this museum, I could not be more proud.”
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