Map Art the Osher Map Library VS The Fitzy Gallery @MECA

Maps & Charts! Love'm

Maps reek adventure and discovery.  To go tour two galleries with exhibits that involve maps sounded like a journey worth embarking on.


1st Stop was the Famous Osher Map Library  & Gallery, Did you know early map makers were not called map makers or chart makers they were called cosmographers,  They were the Graphic artists of their time and responsible for sharing the knowledge of the known & unknown world/heavens. It was the graphic nature and idea of the existence of a 4th world that was presented in a 1507 Map by cosmographer Waldseemuller.  Little did he know that his map would forever change and have a profound influence on the great Copernicus and Copernican theory's  on the order of the universe.  I don't have time to tell ya all, so click on the links for more info on the maps, more info on the theory's and the exhibit "Envisioning the World  The First printed maps1472-1700".
It will part the blinds so you can see the art of the map in a new light.

Now the yang of the Osher yin is the June Fitzpatrick Gallery  @ the Maine College of Art and the Show "Deconstruction".  The Map artists or shall we call them cosmoarters give new life to old and outdated maps. By their efforts we are forced as viewers,  like Copernicus to change the way we view the world.  Jeff Woodbury's Ground Zero provides vision of a previously hidden lattice. The image was extracted with the precision of a surgeon from some outdated Rand McNally. It exposes in a new way the arteries and veins that allow the flood of life to enter New York city each day.
Conversely artist  Irmari Nacht 's shredding of a world atlas at first is shocking but creates a sculptural rebirth of the map book back into it's original tree form, it's the circle of life thang.

At first the different exhibits appear diametrically opposed, yet upon further review are originating from a common place.
Both exhibits offer images that will ask you to embrace a new outlook.

Envisioning the worlds 1st printed maps @ the Osher-Glickman library Gallery at the University of Southern Maine continues through Dec 31st,
The Deconstruction Show at the June Ftzy Gallery is in it's last week, so get there before Thanksgiving. 

Why chart a course for these galleries, 

because your good mind needs good art!

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio
Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/


QUICK LINKS TO COOL MAP STUFF:

Interactive Waldseemullermap of the world

For access to Osher map archives to view or purchase click  MAPS


Link to Toby Lester'sbook   4th part of World, Epic Story of the map that gave America it's name;

Link to all the Maps in the Osher exhibit "Envisoning the World..."