The Movies on Exchange Street, located at 10 Exchange Street and owned by Stephen and Judith Halpert since 1980, will move its operation to the Portland Museum of Art. Beginning in February, the Museum will show films in its auditorium on weekends, and this new venture will be named Movies at the Museum. Steve and Judy Halpert will act as consultants to the Museum and continue to bring foreign, classical, and arts films to Portland. The Movies on Exchange will close in the new year.

"Though we are sorry to be leaving Exchange Street, where The Movies has been for 32 years, the Museum offers a beautiful new home and interesting new possibilities," said Steve Halpert. "We hope that our many friends and loyal patrons will follow us there."

"This is a very exciting collaboration," said Acting Director Thomas Denenberg. "Moving The Movies to the Museum not only adds to our program, but it ensures that Portlanders will have access to a quality cinema. We are thrilled that Judy and Steve are joining the Museum family."

In 1976, The Movies on Exchange Street was founded by Leonard Nelson, Marco DeSalle, and Jerry Robinov. In 1980, the Halperts bought the business and have shown approximately 2,000 alternative, foreign, and classic films to one million patrons. The Movies has also showcased visiting filmmakers such as Thomas Hildreth (Islander), Jim Comas Cole and Aaron Duffey (Sundowning), and Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams (Made-Up). The Museum plans to continue this tradition.

The Halperts have always had a connection to the arts and to Portland. Steve came to Portland when he was just two years old. As an undergrad at Brown University in the 1950s, Steve ran a film program, and in the 1970s he presented films at the Portland Museum of Art. With a graduate degree from Harvard, Steve was a professor at Westbrook College where he taught literature, film, and writing courses for more than 40 years. He has also curated many photography exhibitions by such artists as Berenice Abbott, Todd Webb, and Eugene Atget at art galleries at Westbook College and the University of New England. He is currently a professor at the Maine College of Art.

Judy was born in Portland and studied at the New England School of Art in Boston. She has been involved with the LARK Society, Portland Concert Association, and the Portland Chamber Music Festival for many years. Together, they continue to support the arts in Maine.

For more information about Movies at the Museum, visit www.portlandmuseum.org/events.
MUSEUM INFORMATION
The Portland Museum of Art, Maine's largest art museum, showcases fine and decorative arts from the 18th century to the present. From Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth to Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet, the Museum features three centuries of art and architecture. The Museum is located at Seven Congress Square in downtown Portland. Hours are: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday. Memorial Day through Columbus Day, the Museum is open on Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students with I.D., $4 for youth ages 6 to 17, and children under 6 are free. The Museum is free on Friday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., made possible through the generous support of L.L. Bean. No admission is required to visit the Museum Café and Store. For more information, call
(207) 775-6148 or visit portlandmuseum.org.