The Portland Museum of Art will host the Mass Timber Maine Conference from November 13—15, 2024, in Portland, Maine. This conference will bring together industry leaders, artists, innovators, and visionaries to discuss the future of construction through mass timber technology. Maine has long been a leader in sustainable wood products, and the conference will focus on how the state can continue to play a key role in the development of mass timber. Attendees will experience an immersive event, complete with "Timber Talks," lectures, discussions, and field trips that highlight sustainable construction practices.

On November 13, participants will embark on field trips to local mass timber projects, forests, and research and manufacturing facilities. These excursions will provide an up-close look at innovative buildings, sustainable forestry practices, and state-of-the-art production processes. The following two days, November 14—15, will be dedicated to "Timber Talks," keynotes, and signature lectures. Attendees will hear from industry experts, including Amelia Baxter, Co-founder and CEO of WholeTrees Architecture and Structures; Mark H.C. Bessire, Judy and Leonard Lauder Director at the Portland Museum of Art; Dennis Carlberg, Chief Sustainability Officer and Associate Vice President for Climate Action at Boston University; Tom S. Chung, Principal and Mass Timber Design Lead at Leers Weinzapfel Associates; Sophie Davis and Luke Fatora, Artistic Directors at Halcyon; Matt Delany, Library Director at Jesup Memorial Library; Pamela Franks, Director at Williams College Museum of Art; Kathleen Kolb and Verandah Porche, authors of Shedding Light on the Working Forest; Chris Newell, Co-Founder/Director of Education at the Akomawt Educational Initiative; Chandra Robinson, Principal at LEVER; Lucas St. Clair, President at Elliotsville Foundation, Inc.; and Lindsey Wikstrom, Founding Principal at Mattaforma.

A special session, the "Women in Timber Breakfast," is designed to empower women in the mass timber industry by providing a space to connect with peers, share resources, and build relationships without an agenda. The Portland Museum of Art’s role as host aligns with its mission to blend creativity with sustainability, particularly in light of its ongoing campus expansion in collaboration with LEVER. This project is part of the museum’s broader efforts to lead in the sustainable construction movement, supported by a $2 million federal grant and an additional $300,000 from the Northern Forest Center aimed at fostering the mass timber economy in Maine. For more information about the Mass Timber Conference, please visit Portland Museum of Art.