Mark Bessire

Mark H. C. Bessire became Director of the Portland Museum of Art in 2009. Previously, Mark was the Director of the Bates College Museum of Art in Lewiston, Maine.  Mark holds a M.B.A. from Columbia University, a M.A. in art history from Hunter College, and a B.A. from New York University. Mark has published widely, including three books with MIT Press, has organized numerous traveling exhibitions, and has participated on national art juries. He is active in local, community, and national public art programs and also lectures on museum studies.

Mark is a founding board member of the non-profit organization Africa Schoolhouse, which is dedicated to building schools in rural Africa. He is a member of the Maine Arts Commission, the Board of Advisors at SPACE Gallery, and the University of Southern Maine Board of Visitors. He resides with his family in Portland, Maine.