As the holiday season descends upon the rugged coast of Maine, the historic waterfront of Portland is welcoming a new, deeply resonant cultural touchstone. Casco Bay Lines, the maritime lifeline that has connected the mainland to the outer islands for generations, has officially unveiled its limited-edition holiday merchandise line. At the heart of this seasonal offering is a breathtaking collaboration with prominent Portland artist and ceramicist Lark Wicinas.
Featuring gallery-quality art prints and exquisitely etched glassware, the collection transports observers to the ethereal, snow-dusted serenity of Casco Bay under winter skies. This release marks a significant milestone in Casco Bay Lines’ broader retail strategy, building upon a successful summer 2024 partnership with Benoit’s Design Co. of Westbrook, Maine. By blending local lore, functional craftsmanship, and contemporary fine art, this initiative not only diversifies the ferry service’s offerings but also deepens its symbiotic relationship with the regional creative economy.
For Wicinas—who co-manages Handful Studios and Seabird Studio—the project represents an intimate exploration of civic identity. In an era defined by rapid urban development and shifting architectural landscapes across the Greater Portland area, the iconic vessels of Casco Bay Lines remain an unshakeable anchor. This journalistic feature explores the genesis of the collaboration, the artistic processes behind the newly released pieces, the economic impact of artisan partnerships in coastal Maine, and the enduring cultural significance of Portland’s maritime transit system.
The trajectory toward this holiday collection began long before formal contracts were drafted. In the depths of the 2023 winter, Lark Wicinas crafted a thoughtful, one-off gift for a close friend spending the season on Peaks Island. Drawing upon her background in ceramics, Wicinas hand-threw a mug featuring a classic Casco Bay Lines ferry on one side and a curious local seal on the other.
When Wicinas listed a small, limited run of these ceramic vessels on her studio’s online shop, the response was instantaneous. The mugs sold out almost immediately, capturing a nerve among island residents and mainland commuters alike. The design caught the watchful eye of Casco Bay Lines leadership, who had been quietly monitoring the cultural zeitgeist surrounding their fleet. Recognizing an authentic expression of maritime affection, transit officials filed the concept away as the seed for a future project.
Summer 2024: Laying the Foundation
The partnership with Wicinas did not emerge in a vacuum; it was the direct successor to Casco Bay Lines’ inaugural foray into official merchandise. In the summer of 2024, the transit provider announced a high-profile collaboration with Benoit’s Design Co., an acclaimed artisan shop based in nearby Westbrook, Maine.
The Benoit’s x Casco Bay Lines collection established a high standard for authenticity, introducing timeless, maritime-inspired pieces that mirrored the tactile experience of riding the ferries. This summer launch proved that passengers and community members were eager to invest in physical mementos of their daily commutes and seasonal excursions. Buoyed by this commercial and cultural success, Casco Bay Lines began actively searching for a local fine artist to anchor a specialized holiday merchandise campaign, and Wicinas—armed with the legacy of her sold-out ferry mug—emerged as the undisputed choice.
By the fall of 2024, Wicinas and Casco Bay Lines entered into formal discussions regarding the holiday commission. Tasked with producing artworks that captured the essence of the season, Wicinas drew heavy inspiration from a vivid anecdote shared by a close friend.
The friend had been one of only a handful of passengers aboard the final evening ferry departing Portland. As the vessel cut through the dark, icy waters entering the bay, the northern lights unexpectedly illuminated the star-studded canopy above. Struck by the profound solitude and magic of the moment, Wicinas sought to translate that ephemeral memory into a permanent visual medium.
Concurrently, Wicinas and Benoit’s Design Co. collaborated to adapt the popular ferry mug design into a durable, everyday glass format. By utilizing Benoit’s precision laser-engraving equipment in Westbrook, the team transformed the ceramic motif into an intricately detailed glass tumbler featuring a ferry bobbing within an oval frame, reminiscent of a ship’s classic porthole.
November–December 2024: Public Debut at the Terminal
The culmination of these collaborative efforts arrived just as winter weather settled over Casco Bay. Rolled out at the Portland ticket windows and available online, the collection immediately drew crowds of holiday shoppers, tourists, and daily commuters. The pairing of archival-grade fine art prints with practical, beautifully etched glassware offered something for every tier of maritime enthusiast, securing its place as one of Portland’s most sought-after seasonal gift lines.
Supporting Context & Metrics
The Economic and Cultural Landscape of Maine Artisans
The partnership between Casco Bay Lines, Lark Wicinas, and Benoit’s Design Co. highlights a broader economic trend within Southern Maine: the thriving interconnectedness of civic institutions and independent creators. Portland and its surrounding municipalities—including Westbrook and the Casco Bay islands—host one of the highest concentrations of working artists per capita in the United States.
By sourcing merchandise locally rather than outsourcing production to mass-market overseas manufacturers, Casco Bay Lines achieves several strategic objectives:
Economic Retention: Financial transactions directly support local sole proprietors, small-business employees, and regional supply chains.
Brand Authenticity: Art crafted by individuals deeply embedded in the local culture resonates far more deeply with consumers than generic corporate merchandise.
Community Goodwill: Collaborative projects validate the labor of regional makers, elevating their profiles while simultaneously burnishing the cultural prestige of the transit provider.
Technical Specifications of the Collection
To ensure the longevity and collectible value of the holiday line, high standards of production were enforced across all product categories:
Product Type
Creator/Collaborator
Materials Used
Production/Manufacturing Location
Fine Art Print
Lark Wicinas (Seabird Studio)
11” x 14” cold press fine art paper, gallery-quality archival inks
Portland, Maine
Etched Glassware
Lark Wicinas & Benoit’s Design Co.
High-clarity glassware, dishwasher-safe engraving
Westbrook, Maine
Original Ceramic Mug
Lark Wicinas (Lark Ceramics Studio)
Hand-thrown stoneware, food-safe glazes
Portland, Maine
The fine art print itself is an exercise in technical precision. Printed on heavy-duty cold press paper, the texture mimics traditional watercolor and drawing paper, giving the digital reproduction the tactile weight of an original painting. The archival inks utilized guarantee that the golden reflections of the ferry lights and the deep indigo of the night sky will resist fading for generations, matching the permanent legacy of the vessels they depict.
Official Statements
The collaboration has drawn high praise from both municipal transit leadership and the creative community steering the project.
Reflecting on her motivations and the unique role of the ferry service in the local psyche, Lark Wicinas shared her perspective during an interview:
"For the people of Portland, there is so much lore and adoration of the Casco Bay Lines ferries, so it was fun to be invited onto this project and be able to honor that. Everything in Portland seems to be changing so fast—new developments, rising costs, shifting demographics—but Casco Bay Lines is enduring. It’s like a mascot for the city."
Elaborating on the inspiration behind the flagship nighttime print, Wicinas detailed the emotional resonance of the bay after dark:
"A close friend of mine was one of the few passengers on the last ferry out of Portland one night. While moving into the bay, the northern lights unexpectedly began to appear in the sky above. She said it was the most magical thing she had ever seen. I was thinking about that: how can I capture this magical nighttime feeling?"
Casco Bay Lines representatives echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the decision to partner with Wicinas was driven by her ability to capture the authentic soul of the water transit system. In an official organizational statement, management noted:
"Lark’s work does not just depict our ferries; it captures the emotional relationship our passengers have with the water. In a city that’s rapidly evolving, the ferries feel familiar, steadfast, and deeply tied to the identity of the community. We’re honored that she has captured the spirit of our organization so perfectly in these pieces of art that everyone can enjoy throughout the year."
Future Outlook
As Casco Bay Lines looks toward the future, the resounding success of its artisan merchandise strategy signals a permanent shift in how municipal transportation systems can engage with the public. No longer viewed strictly as utility providers moving passengers from Point A to Point B, regional transit authorities are increasingly recognizing their roles as cultural stewards.
Expanding Creative Partnerships
Buoyed by the commercial triumphs of the Benoit’s Design Co. collaboration in summer 2024 and the Wicinas holiday collection, Casco Bay Lines leadership is reportedly evaluating future seasonal and permanent retail expansions. Industry analysts suggest that similar public-private creative partnerships could soon serve as a model for other coastal ferry networks across New England and the Pacific Northwest. By leveraging the talents of local printmakers, ceramicists, textile artists, and woodworkers, transit agencies can create sustainable secondary revenue streams while simultaneously fostering civic pride.
The Enduring Symbol of Portland
Urban planners and historians frequently cite Portland as a city navigating the delicate tightrope between rapid gentrification and the preservation of its historic blue-collar identity. As commercial storefronts along Commercial Street continue to modernize, the orange-and-white silhouettes of the Casco Bay Lines fleet remain steadfast.
Through the lens of artists like Lark Wicinas, these vessels are elevated from utilitarian modes of transit into poetic symbols of endurance. Whether a passenger is an island resident commuting to a mainland job at dawn, a tourist taking in the salt spray during a summer afternoon excursion, or a collector admiring a cold-press archival print of a glowing ferry beneath a crescent moon, the message remains clear: the spirit of Casco Bay is as resilient as the tides.
For those wishing to secure a piece of this maritime history, the exclusive art prints, etched glassware, and remaining collaborative merchandise are currently available for purchase at the Casco Bay Lines Portland terminal ticket windows and online through official partner portals. As supplies are strictly limited, patrons are encouraged to visit the terminal early to experience the magic of the bay firsthand.
