-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Baltimore mapfest
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:12:35 -0400
From: [log in to unmask]
To: Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Made it to the Baltimore mapfest this weekend. The 110 degree heat/humidity
index did not make this a pleasant time to walk around B'more. I spent less
than 30 minutes in Fells Point Sunday afternoon, and cabbed it back up to
Penn Station for my very early train back to cool 98 degree Manhattan.
The Enoch Pratt Free Library, one of many participants in the Baltimore
mapfest, had a hallway exhibit on the 3rd floor, up the "broken elevator"
staircase. It seemed a half-hearted attempt to participate in the mapfest.
Many maps had no labels, and it was a mix of things like a map of Fairyland
[a classic, yes...and also in the Walters show] and a fabulous wall map
bird's-eye-view of Baltimore. Sorry, I was so hot and tired I took no
notes! The mix of old and new and facsimiles, and labels from previous
exhibitions did not pull one into the maps. Some labels aimed at children
were in cases probably too high for lots of kids to see. I was saddened, as
it felt as if the lack of a dedicated curator resulted in the dissatisfying
result. However, we ran into this in Chicago with a couple of institutions
that seemed to just chuck maps in a case and be "participants" in the
mapfest.
The Walters exhibition was crowded, as it was the last day. Many of the
maps were familiar friends from Chicago. Many of the cases could have
benefitted from labels on four sides, which would have facilitated movement
in the crowded narrow hallway galleries. In the exhibition I had fun with
the WWI aero chart in the metallic scroll case. Loved the initiative to
design this thing, which looks clunky today, but at the time was a solution
sorts for early aeroplane pilots and their wayfinding needs. Again I was
amazed at the 1" Isidore of Seville T/O map, and the wildly hot colors of
the Leardo map. No facsimile has ever done it justice. I laughed out loud
at the Arpanet 1982 map, paired with Lumeta Corporation's 2007 web map. The
Civil War in 4 minutes map-in-motion was a hoot, and caused lots of comment
among its audience as I stood listening in. I was surprised again at how
large the map of the Ioways territory is, and how small the Lewis & Clark.
There is something very moving about the Forma Urbis Romae, just a few
stone fragments from a huge literal wall map of Rome from 203-211 CE. One
longs for the missing pieces to be there, to fill in the gaps, to reveal
the skill and informatin left by the engraver. Not to be. Upstairs, the
monster Atlas of the Great Elector was probably in the only room in the
Walters that could compete with it--a wonderful room of wonders, filled
with treasures from nature, art and world cultures that fascinated those in
Europe who did not travel to the Indies, East or West! What a setting, I
was drawn to the cases filled with shells, insects, jewelry, gold,
miniatures, paintings, etc., etc. Believe me, the Elector had competition.
Lastly the final item in the show was a very tiny facsimile of a Vermeer
painting, with a large facsimile of the same Netherlands map portrayed in
the painting. As I passed by a Dad was explaining the point of the thing to
his little son, who wasn't with the program. Dad tried, son was ready to
go! The shop had globes on sale for 50% off, natch. The exhibition book
was sold out, a good sign.There were lots of carto thingies for sale,
expensive maps glued to glass in the form of platters, stationery and
bookplates, plus facsimiles of maps in the exhbition, including a wonderful
Leo Belgicus, which I regret not buying now. Of course. But I did find a
wonderful compass rose pin/necklace. Jewelry always works for me.
The book will be a wonderful keepsake of this tremendous multi-city event
which all of us mapnerds celebrate. I do wish I had had the time and
inclination to hang out and record the comments and questions of
non-mapnerds as they pushed thru the exhibition. I hope someone did, it
would make a great paper on map awareness, appreciation in this country. I
do wonder if written comments were collected at either show, did not see
any opportunity to leave same in Baltimore. Those too would be helpful in
our understanding of their [non-mapnerds] understanding of what they had
just witnessed.
Congratulations to McCarter, Nebenzahl, Woodward, Akerman and Karrow, et.
al., for this gift to us. I loved it all.
Alice C. Hudson
Chief, The Lionel Pincus & Princess Firyal Map Division
The Humanities and Social Sciences Library
The New York Public Library
5th Avenue & 42nd Street, Room 117
New York, NY 10018-2788
[log in to unmask], 212-930-0589, fax 212-930-0027
Hours: 1-7:30 Tu & Wed, 1-6 Thurs-Sat. Closed Sun, Mon.
http://nypl.org/research/chss/map/map.html
Re: Baltimore mapfest
Angie Cope
to:
MAPS-L
06/10/2008 10:00 AM
Sent by:
"Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum"
<[log in to unmask]>
Please respond to "Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum"
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Baltimore mapfest
Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2008 15:11:47 -0400
From: [log in to unmask]
To: Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum
<[log in to unmask]>
I plan to be at the Walters around noon, accd to my ticket that is when I
need to show up. From what I hear it is well worth the visit, even if one
has seen the Chicago mapfest, because there are significant differences. I
look forward to overdosing on maps, finding my way in and out of Fells
Point, and hopping back on the train to NY, sated with map/harbormania.
Alice C. Hudson
Chief, The Lionel Pincus & Princess Firyal Map Division
The Humanities and Social Sciences Library
The New York Public Library
5th Avenue & 42nd Street, Room 117
New York, NY 10018-2788
[log in to unmask], 212-930-0589, fax 212-930-0027
Hours: 1-7:30 Tu & Wed, 1-6 Thurs-Sat. Closed Sun, Mon.
http://nypl.org/research/chss/map/map.html:
Sunday is the last day to see the Maps exhibit in Baltimore
Angela R Cope
to:
MAPS-L
06/06/2008
02:07 PM
Sent by:
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----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Nikolas R. Schiller" <[log in to unmask]>
To: Maps-L
Sent: Thursday, June 5, 2008 6:19:54 PM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
Subject: Sunday is the last day to see the Maps exhibit in Baltimore
Friends,
This e-mail is a brief reminder that this Sunday is the last day to
see the largest & most important collection of maps currently display
in the United States. Anyone living on the East Coast of the United
States can take the Amtrak train to Baltimore this weekend and walk
10 minutes down Charles Street to the Walters Museum and check out
the exhibit. I *highly* recommend going before it's too late!
http://www.amtrak.com
If you are unable to make it, I made a Google Earth layer for the
Walters Museum last year that features some of the maps on display
overlaid on to the surface of the Earth. However, I'll be honest,
nothing compares to seeing the maps up close! The staff at the
Walters Museum also produced a second layer for Google Earth which
shows the artifacts & artwork in their permanent collection displayed
in Google Earth.
http://www.thewalters.org/maps/world.html
http://www.thewalters.org/maps/ge/world_at_walters.zip [Google Earth
layer]
http://www.thewalters.org/maps/ge/maps_findingourplace.zip [Google
Earth layer]
====/====
I am proud to share a little discovery I made because of my
experience at the Walters Museum:
http://www.nikolasschiller.com/blog/index.php/archives/2008/04/11/1360/
Also, a couple weeks ago I made "A New & Arabesque Map of the
Hirshhorn Museum" which features the border from Willem Janszoon
Blaeu’s "Nova totius terrarum orbis geographica ac hydrographica
tabula," which was published in Amsterdam in 1606. I can now add
this beautiful 400-year-old border to any of my previously made maps
to create a retro/future decorative map. Think about it about the
possibilities...
http://www.nikolasschiller.com/blog/index.php/archives/2008/05/23/1403/
Lastly, I hope you've made it to Artomatic. My exhibit is up until
June 15th!
Did you see everything when you were there last? I dissected the
base map for you:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50898153@N00/2529435579/
Cheers,
Nikolas R. Schiller
Washington, DC
#202-460-0032
[log in to unmask]
http://nikolasschiller.com
ps
I submitted a book proposal this week.
Maybe I will have good news for you in the next e-mail!
(or not..... but think happy thoughts for me okay?)
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