Popular Marpeau Shadowbox Exhibit Extended

Wreck Island 1914

September 7, 2010 -- "Inside the Box," an exhibit of marine dioramas by French artist Anne-Emmanuelle Marpeau at Penobscot Marine Museum, has been extended through Columbus Day, October 11. Marpeau's dioramas, also known as shadowboxes, are finely-detailed constructions that depict history and legends of the New England and Maine coasts.

"The public really responded to the artist's sense of whimsy and mystery in interpreting our local maritime culture," said curator Ben Fuller, noting that "Inside the Box" was the museum's most popular exhibit this year. In response to its popularity, several of the artworks' owners generously agreed to extend their loans to the museum beyond the exhibit's originally-scheduled closing date of September 10.

A native of Brittany, France, Anne-Emmanuelle Marpeau crafts intricate dioramas (also known as shadowboxes) based on history and stories from Maine's islands and remote coastal communities. Maritime disasters, lighthouse keepers, legends of ghost ships and tales of long-ago island celebrations are depicted with whimsy, imagination and a touch of mystery. In the Merithew House gallery.