The mission of Addison Woolley Gallery and Center for Photographic Inquiry is to act as a true center for photographic research and debate, serving as an anchor for the photographic community in Portland, Maine and beyond. Exhibits feature photography approximately 80% of the time while incorporating other arts as they relate to a particular theme. With a strong emphasis on the history of photography, and an eventual library for research and study, Addison Woolley serves as a vibrant intellectual magnet incorporating special events, lectures, children's workshops, and more, that enliven discussion about the crossroads at which photography now stands, its past, future and its position among the other arts and within the culture.

During May, 2008, in addition to the current exhibition, Addison Woolley is featuring the work of seven students enrolled in Hidden Portland, a workshop sponsored in collaboration with Portland's The Telling Room. Student writers/photographers in 6th to 8th grade studied the relationship between photography and writing, and produced work currently displayed on the website.

Each student also chose a photograph and a poem or story for exhibit in the Addison Woolley Gallery for the month.