The Commission advised the governor about the acquisition of works of art for state buildings.
This entity lasted until a movement in the 1960s to create a permanent state agency in support of the arts and humanities.
The Maine State Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the NEA, and the NEH were established in 1965 and became active in 1966.
It was one of the only two state agencies in the country dedicated to supporting freedom of artistic expression in this way at the time.
In 2003 Donna McNeil began her work with the Maine Arts Commission.