Penobscot Marine Museum will host a reception for French diorama artist Anne-Emmanuelle Marpeau July 8 at 6:00 p.m. in the Jeremiah Merithew House.

Anne-Emmanuelle Marpeau

July 8, 2010 -- A native of Brittany, France, Marpeau visits Maine every year to research the history of its islands and remote coastal communities. Her research is realized in artistic form in intricate, intriguing dioramas or "shadowboxes" -- three-dimensional tableaux that illustrate folktales, legends, and history with depictions of ghost ships, lighthouse keepers, forgotten ship launchings and island celebrations. The museum is showing "Inside the Box," an exhibition of her work, in the Merithew House through September 10. The July 8 reception is free, and refreshments will be served.