Maps: Finding Our Place in the World March 16–June 8, 2008
From clay tablets to sea charts, from historic expeditions to sketches of worlds real and imagined—maps tell us much more than how to get from where we are to where we want to be. They help us visualize the places we inhabit, see and study the unknown, understand our place in the world as it is and shape it for the future. This rare exhibition of the world’s greatest maps features over 100 exquisite original maps, globes and artifacts. Maps: Finding Our Place in the World is a once-in-a-lifetime journey through landscapes of time and space, science and imagination. The exhibition will include maps created by American historical figures like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, by scientists like Leonardo da Vinci and Ptolemy, by writers like J.R.R. Tolkien and William Faukner, and by explorers like Charles Lindbergh and Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The oldest road map of Europe and the map that drew the first boundaries around a new American nation will also be on view. This is the most ambitious American exhibition devoted to maps since an exceptional show mounted in Baltimore over 50 years ago.
The Walters’ exhibition is part of the Baltimore Festival of Maps—a citywide celebration organized by the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance to encourage Baltimore residents and visitors to explore museums, theaters, galleries and educational institutions. From March 16 through June 30, 2008, more than 25 local arts and culture organizations will offer map-related exhibitions, performances, workshops, walking and driving tours, seminars and lectures, and family programming. To learn more, visit www.baltimorefestivalofmaps.com.
This exhibition is organized by the Field Museum and The Newberry Library. Presented by Navteq. Maps: Finding Our Place in the World is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The exhibition at the Walters Art Museum is made possible by the extraordinary generosity of an anonymous donor. Additional support is provided by Signal Hill, a Contributing Sponsor, and Mr. and Mrs. John R. Rockwell.
London Glove—Caption: Fashion and map aficionados alike will enjoy this map of London on a glove created for the 1851 Great Exhibition. Photo Credit: Reproduced by permission of The National Archives of the United Kingdom. George Shove, London Map on a Glove, 1850, printed map on deerskin, National Archives, Kew
