Welcome
The Center for Painted Wall Preservation (CPWP) is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit organization, dedicated to the research and preservation of eighteenth and early nineteenth century paint-decorated plaster walls.
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Our goal is to survey and document painted and stenciled walls, in situ or in collections; further the appreciation of this rare and vulnerable art form; and serve as a resource for the conservation and preservation of painted plaster walls for future generations. The walls we study include those painted by some of America’s most significant early folk artists, such as Rufus Porter, Jonathan D. Poor, and Moses Eaton.
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Painted walls — which include murals, freehand brushwork, and stenciled plaster walls— are vulnerable to destruction and loss. We will lose these irreplaceable historical records unless we preserve these critical documents of our past. Help us protect this important part of our heritage by supporting the CPWP.
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Thank you for your support.
Presenting
The Center for Painted Walls
Monthly 100-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
for June
Challenge yourself with images from our archives!
Tobias Ricker House, Buckfield, Maine,
Artist Unknown
Sign up to receive updates and
Plaster Bits
the CPWP digital newsletter.
News
On the cusp of 2025, Plaster Bits presented a profile of the Center for Painted Wall Preservation’s activities for 2024.
(https://pwpcenter.org/so/38P6ou-H5?languageTag=en&cid=a3508702-106c-4f03-a9a8-bb25cd97e64b)
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To all interested in helping us continue our mission, please contribute either through our website (pwpcenter.org) or by mail at: P.O. Box 187, Hallowell, ME 04347
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CPWP IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE INAUGURAL RECIPIENT OF
THE 2025 CPWP SCHOLARSHIP
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(Major funding provided by the Carl M. Lindberg Family Foundation)
Matthew Beckman has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the 2025 CPWP Scholarship and will soon initiate his CPWP project, “Bringing Historic Painted Walls to Life: Digital Storytelling,” through short-form videos for social media that showcase select parts of the CPWP Virtual Museum with planned expert narration—a virtual docent. His project aims to expand the Center for Painted Wall Preservation’s educational public outreach and increase understanding of painted wall decoration and the organization's mission—a dedication to researching and preserving 18th- and early 19th-century American paint-decorated plaster walls.
Matt has an ongoing background in copywriting and multimedia marketing as the founder and freelance copywriter of Matthew Beckmann Content Production, established in June of 2023. He has earned a Master’s degree in Art History (2021), as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Humanistic Studies (2019) from the John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. He was also the 2021 Dorothy W. Sanborn Summer Intern at the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity.
Matt will utilize his expertise to present our information in new, accessible, and enjoyable ways to a wide public audience.
The Center for Painted Wall Preservation is proud to support, by membership in, the following mission-aligned organizations.
The Center for Painted Wall Preservation proudly announces:
THE VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF
PAINTED WALLS
This addition to our website, comprised of the Digital Archive of Painted Walls and Immersive Tours, adds another source for viewers to immerse themselves in a scholarly and visually stunning educational experience.
For a more complete description of what this (members only) stunning online resource has to offer.