PORTLAND – The Portland Museum of Art will host an afternoon with famed artist Dahlov Ipcar Sunday, June 8, to celebrate the new commemorative edition of her classic children’s book, “The Little Fisherman.”

The 90-year-old Maine artist will sign copies of her newly reissued title from 1 to 3 p.m. in the museum’s Great Hall. The Ipcar celebration will also feature children’s activities related to Ipcar’s illustrations. Families can make their own paper fish kites to fly from the end of kid-sized fishing poles and decorate a paper ocean in the museum. Guests will read from the book in the auditorium during the event.

“The Little Fisherman,” written by Margaret Wise Brown and originally published in 1945, is a milestone book in Ipcar’s illustrious career. It was the first children’s book illustrated by the then-28-year-old artist. The book, with its whimsical and authentic coastal scenes, helped establish her distinctive style and ignited a four-decade creative run that saw her write and illustrate more than 30 children’s books, all from a studio looking out over her farm on Georgetown Island. Today, Ipcar continues to paint daily, and her intricate, distinctive and fanciful artwork is known worldwide, with pieces of her art in the permanent collections of numerous renowned museums.

Later this summer, the museum will also feature several works by Ipcar in its American Menagerie exhibit (Aug. 16 to Nov. 9).

Besides “The Little Fisherman,” Islandport Press, a Maine-based independent publishing company dedicated to producing quality books about Maine and Northern New England, will release a commemorative edition of Ipcar’s “My Wonderful Christmas Tree” this fall.

The Ipcar event is free with museum admission of $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students with I.D. and $4 for youth ages 6 to 17. Children under 6 admitted free. For more information, call 775-6148, extension 3293, or visit www.portlandmuseum.org.

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