Logo » MONA Portsmouth

January 18, 2024

To the donors, members, artists, and friends of the Museum of New Art | Portsmouth,

Reflecting on the past two-and-a-half years at MONA, I am deeply moved by what a positive impact we made over such a short period of time during extraordinary circumstances. Since opening in October of 2021, we have welcomed more than 16,000 visitors who experienced six remarkable exhibitions and associated programming. From immersive encounters to reflective and personal storytelling, to challenging perspectives on cultural norms and trends, the work of our celebrated artists helped us bring our vision and mission to life. Portsmouth, the Seacoast, and our region at large enjoyed access to and participation in contemporary visual art that had never been celebrated in and for our community. I speak for our Board when I express deep thanks to all of you - artists, donors, partners, and friends, for supporting us as we worked diligently to create the experience.

It is therefore with a heavy heart that I inform you that effective immediately MONA will suspend operations because of weakening revenue. We entered our 2023 season with optimism about our ability to meet our mission while maintaining our free admission policy for as long as possible, but we did not secure the contributions necessary to support the level of artistic programming we had planned for the end of 2023 and for 2024.

Many of our sister visual arts organizations across the country are struggling with the same challenges. As they and we consider our futures as nonprofit arts organizations, we are hopeful that there may be a newly imagined way forward.

For today, we at MONA remain grateful for the opportunity we had to bring excellent contemporary art to our neighbors and visitors for the past two years, and we remain committed to our belief in and passion for the transformational impact that the creative and cultural arts have on all of us, our families, and our community.

Again, please accept our immense gratitude for your support and understanding.

With appreciation,

Suzanne Bresette Signature » MONA Portsmouth
Suzanne Bresette
Board Chair