A child in scuba gear swims in the foreground, surrounded by a school of fish in the blue water background.

Indigo Arts Alliance

Enjoy the full program with access to all main activities.

General Admission

Join us Saturday, September 12th from 10-1 pm for a conversation and zine-making workshop exploring one of Beautiful Blackbird Children&#39;s Book Festival&rsquo;s featured books, The Deepest Blue by Shauntay Grant and illustrations by Daniel Minter.&nbsp; Dive into the journey of a young girl as she investigates the lost stories hidden within a sunken slave ship. Attend a talk with guest speakers Gabrielle Miller, Marine Archaeologist and co-coordinator of the Slave Wrecks Project, and Indigo Arts Alliance cofounder, Daniel Minter followed by mixed media art making. In this guided conversation we will discuss the socio-historical resonance, and the real world stories that framed the construction of The Deepest Blue.&nbsp; About the Beautiful Blackbird Children&#39;s Book Festival:&nbsp;The Beautiful Blackbird Children&rsquo;s Book Festival celebrates Black and Black Immigrant children&rsquo;s books and their creators with an annual 3,000+ book giveaway to Maine families, the production of acclaimed media and activities and live book events. The festival honors the legacy of legendary Black children&rsquo;s book creator and artist Ashley Bryan and is named after his classic picture book Beautiful Blackbird. We believe that Black children and immigrant children should have the opportunity to build their home libraries and fill them with books that represent their lives and experiences. This is why we are proud to give away 3,000 copies of the featured books to children served by Portland Public Housing, Portland Parks and Recreation, and the Lewiston community. The festival was founded in 2020 by Indigo Arts Alliance in partnership with I&rsquo;m Your Neighbor Books and Diverse BookFinder and is produced with the 2025 partners: The Children&rsquo;s Museum &amp; Theatre of Maine , Farnsworth Art Museum, The Strand Theatre, LA Arts, Auburn Public Library, Lewiston Public Library, ProsperityME, Portland Public Library, Maine Community Swimming, Greater Portland Family Promise, Co-Lab Create, Portland Housing Authority, and Portland Parks, Recreation, &amp; Facilities. <a fr-original-style="" href="https://beautifulblackbird.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Learn more about the festival here!&nbsp;</a> Photography Policy:&nbsp;By participating in Beautiful Blackbird Book Festival programming, I understand my child or myself may be photographed by IAA staff for general documentation and publicity. I also understand that no royalty, fee or other compensation shall become payable to me by reason of such use.

Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="color: rgb(42, 42, 196); overflow-wrap: anywhere; -webkit-user-select: none; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; margin: 0px; padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, Thank you for registering for our event and supporting our cause. Your registration greatly helps our mission. 🚀 If you would like to contribute further, contact us to become a volunteer, or talk to your friends about our cause! Indigo Arts Allianceinfo@indigoartsalliance.me

Join us Saturday, September 12th from 10-1 pm for a conversation and zine-making workshop exploring one of Beautiful Blackbird Children's Book Festival’s featured books, The Deepest Blue by Shauntay Grant and illustrations by Daniel Minter.  Dive into the journey of a young girl as she investigates the lost stories hidden within a sunken slave ship. Attend a talk with guest speakers Gabrielle Miller, Marine Archaeologist and co-coordinator of the Slave Wrecks Project, and Indigo Arts Alliance cofounder, Daniel Minter followed by mixed media art making. In this guided conversation we will discuss the socio-historical resonance, and the real world stories that framed the construction of The Deepest Blue.  About the Beautiful Blackbird Children's Book Festival: The Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival celebrates Black and Black Immigrant children’s books and their creators with an annual 3,000+ book giveaway to Maine families, the production of acclaimed media and activities and live book events. The festival honors the legacy of legendary Black children’s book creator and artist Ashley Bryan and is named after his classic picture book Beautiful Blackbird. We believe that Black children and immigrant children should have the opportunity to build their home libraries and fill them with books that represent their lives and experiences. This is why we are proud to give away 3,000 copies of the featured books to children served by Portland Public Housing, Portland Parks and Recreation, and the Lewiston community. The festival was founded in 2020 by Indigo Arts Alliance in partnership with I’m Your Neighbor Books and Diverse BookFinder and is produced with the 2025 partners: The Children’s Museum &amp; Theatre of Maine , Farnsworth Art Museum, The Strand Theatre, LA Arts, Auburn Public Library, Lewiston Public Library, ProsperityME, Portland Public Library, Maine Community Swimming, Greater Portland Family Promise, Co-Lab Create, Portland Housing Authority, and Portland Parks, Recreation, &amp; Facilities. <a href="https://beautifulblackbird.com/" target="_blank">Learn more about the festival here! </a> Photography Policy: By participating in Beautiful Blackbird Book Festival programming, I understand my child or myself may be photographed by IAA staff for general documentation and publicity. I also understand that no royalty, fee or other compensation shall become payable to me by reason of such use.

Indigo Arts Alliance

Lost Treasures: Dive in to “The Deepest Blue”

60 Cove St

General Admission

Free

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