Founded in 2002 in Eastport Maine, the Tides Institute & Museum of Art is located on the Atlantic coast at the US/Canada border. This boundary location shapes its perspective on the region and the broader world: through its initiatives and programs to foster new innovative and cross-sector works; through its wide ranging collections, education and preservation efforts; and through its partnerships
and endeavors to strengthen the region’s economic prosperity, vitality and wider connections. From historical to contemporary, from the 18th century to today, the collections have a particular focus on art, broadly conceived, but also have strong interests with architecture and history. The focuses of the collections are on the U.S./Canada northeast coast with connections to the broader world. TIMA's StudioWorks Artist-in-Residence Program is now in its ninth year. Facilities include an 1887 downtown StudioWorks space, an 1819 North Church Project Space plus two historic buildings for artist housing. Since 2013, 62 artists from 18 different states and four foreign countries have participated in the program. The Tides Institute & Museum of Art (TIMA) campus is made up of eight 19th century repurposed historic buildings as well as additional properties owned by TIMA. These buildings, dating from 1819 to the end of the 19th century, preserve and reflect the region’s architectural heritage while repurposing them with 21st century activities and resources. Four of TIMA’s buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (including three that were designed by the same architect and built at the same time), six (including the four on the National Register) are part of Eastport’s local historic district, and two other TIMA buildings are located nearby in an adjacent historic residential area.
