THE ART OF ILLUSTRATION IN MAINE AND BEYOND

For so many of us, before we could read stories, we saw them. And it turns out, many of the images that shaped our imaginations were made in Maine. 

For generations, Maine has attracted artists and authors who have shaped how stories are seen and told. Their work reaches audiences globally, from the quiet coastal world of Miss Rumphius and the iconic Maine landscape of Blueberries for Sal to the cult comic-book saga Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the beloved bedtime story Goodnight Moon. 

Just as Maine’s larger-than-life natural landscape draws artists and authors, so do the people who live and work here. Creative networks, supported by institutions such as the Illustration Institute and Maine College of Art & Design, established Maine as a global center for illustration where artists seek inspiration and mentorship. Drawn to Story explores this living tradition and the artists that are innovating and shaping the world of illustration today. 

Co-organized by the Portland Museum of Art and Maine’s Illustration Institute, this exhibition goes beyond the familiar covers and characters to spotlight the artists behind them. See works by beloved historic figures—Ashley Bryan, Barbara Cooney, Dahlov Ipcar, Robert McCloskey, Rockwell Kent, N. C. Wyeth; established favorites like Melissa Sweet, Chris Van Dusen, and Daniel Minter; alongside a vibrant new generation including LeUyen Pham, Rebecca Green, and Andrew DeGraff. 

Alongside rarely seen original illustrations, the exhibition features drawings, paintings, sculpture, preparatory sketches, and artists’ research that reveal the experimentation, skill, and imagination behind a story’s visual world. At a moment when AI-generated imagery is rapidly reshaping visual culture, Drawn to Story is a reminder of something no machine can replicate: a human hand, a trained eye, and a lifetime of choices that illuminate our experience between the lines and beyond the words. 

Drawn to Story is organized by the Portland Museum of Art, Maine, and the Illustration Institute.