🔒Lewiston’s Maine MILL museum sets opening date for late June
The opening of the Maine MILL museum — set for late June — comes after a $15 million capital campaign. The project was designed by Platz Associates and constructed by Langford & Low. PHOTO / COURTESY OF MAINE MILL
A Lewiston museum that aims to be a hub for "history, culture and community connection" will open in late June after a $15 million capital campaign.
Maine MILL — founded 30 years ago and previously known as the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor — plans a weekend of events on June 26–28, including a Friday evening fundraising gala and a Saturday morning ribbon-cutting. Admission will be free through the weekend.
The museum's new 22,000-square-foot museum space was designed by Platz Associates of Auburn and constructed by Langford & Low of Portland.
“This new building represents a major step forward not just for Maine MILL, but for the community we serve,” said Rachel Ferrante, the museum's executive director. “It allows us to deepen our work, broaden access, and create a space where people can engage meaningfully with the stories and ideas that continue to shape this place.”
'Evolving portrait of the state.'
Founded 30 years ago, Maine MILL describes itself as a community museum dedicated to exploring the intersection of labor, industry and innovation.
The Jacquard loom at the Maine MILL museum, which will open in late June in Lewiston. PHOTO / COURTESY OF MAINE MILL
Its new space will feature a display of critical historical items not previously on view and expand the museum’s capacity to present both its permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.
There will be larger galleries, new classrooms, a maker space, a children’s area and an event space. The museum will feature year-round exhibitions and educational programming, as well as partnerships with artists, schools and community organizations.
The permanent collection is presented thematically, the museum said in a news release. It will focus on community, labor, innovation and Maine today.
"This approach brings objects, stories, and voices into conversation across time, highlighting the changing people, industries and ideas that have shaped Maine. Together, these themes create an evolving portrait of the state, connecting historical experience to community life today and as Maine’s future takes shape," the museum said.
Capital campaign
Maine MILL’s new home has been supported by a wide range of individual donors, foundations, as well as local, state, federal and institutional partners. The new facility is expected to serve as a cultural anchor for Lewiston, contributing to ongoing economic development efforts and strengthening the city’s role as a destination for arts and culture.
Maine MILL's revenue in the most recent year tracked by GuideStar was just above $1.5 million, according to the 2025 Mainebiz Giving Guide.
Maine MILL's first temporary exhibit
The first exhibit will be “A Common Bond: The Brick Journal,” which draws on Lewiston’s legacy as a center of brick production, using the medium as both material and metaphor to explore the intersections of craft, industry and community.
The show, guest-curated by Alexis Iammarino and running through Oct. 25, will feature a range of contemporary artists whose work reflects themes of labor, material and place. It will be presented alongside installations that connect directly to the region’s industrial and cultural history.
