Cartographic Correspondence: The Results
About six weeks ago I put this up. I posted it here and on Facebook, hoping that some of my friends would respond. My Arty-Cartophile friends. I expected a postcard with a name and contact on the back. What ended up happening was both fantastic and overwhelming. Someone (with great intentions) posted this link on an international mail art site. This added an interesting component. Many pieces of art came pouring in from all over the world, some fascinating stuff! Maps, abstracts, stories, postcards, letters, finished artwork, from every...
read moreCartographic Comparisons
Kai Krause, a computer-graphics guru, caused a stir a few years ago with a map entitled “The True Size of Africa”, which showed the outlines of other countries crammed into the outline of the African continent. The goal was to make “a small contribution in the fight against rampant Immappancy.” Kai coined this phrase “immappancy”, meaning insufficient geographical knowledge. HA! We are all guilty. Did you have any idea that the world’s largest countries could actually fit inside Africa? Long lasting incorrect...
read moreSan Serriffe
There is an enchanting island near Africa that you need to know about. San Serriffe is an island nation on the move, due to a peculiarity of ocean currents and erosion, so its exact position varies. A recent report locating it in the Bering Sea was presumably an error. On 1 April 2006 The Guardian reported that San Serriffe was then just off New Zealand’s South Island, but if the rate of movement really is 1.4 km per year as published, San Serriffe should stay in the Indian Ocean for several millennia. Should you enjoy a visit and a...
read moreOpen Call for Cartographic Correspondence!
Hey arty cartographers, I am looking for some great work for my new book! I would like some Cartographic Correspondence from you. Here is what I need: Postcard with a map you made or incorporating maps in the art. Make sure you include your email on the card. No larger than 5″ x 7″ That is it! Send it to me by May 1, 2013 Jill K. Berry 832 Eldorado Drive Superior, CO 80027 I am so excited to see what comes and from where. BTW, the “it’s not that far” postcard at the top is available on...
read moreMapping at Two Hands
There is an enchanted place in Boulder, Colorado called Two Hands Paperie. It is owned by my friend Mia, who is not only a photographer, dancer, book artist and all together creative person, but she has staffed this place with wonderful people and artists who teach classes all year round. There are many classes there (short ones mostly, not longer than 3 hours) in book making, journaling and all sorts of other arty paper related stuff. The store is packed with treasures that you cannot help but to covet, and often to sneak guiltily up to the...
read moreManhattan Map in the News
Local News: First of all, I am going to combine Maps in the News with New and Interesting Maps because there is so much crossover. These will post on Wednesday from now on. Second, I am about to launch work on my new book, and that will keep me very busy for a while. Bear with me. I want to build this map making community to be solid and interesting. If you would like to contribute to this blog while I am making map book number 2, please let me know! Map News: The map in the news today is based on the experiment of Becky Cooper, a young New...
read moreNewspaper Map
Today’s map for Maps in the News is just that, a newspaper map. It is an interactive map of the locations of all the newspapers left in the world. There are bright buttons all over it, and the legend to the right shows the color code for each language. There are also filters by language to make it easy as pie to plan your trip around the availability of newspapers you can actually read. There appear to be no newspapers in Greenland. Click on the map to take you to the interactive version. I have no idea who is making this map, or I...
read moreApollo Landing Sites Maps
These maps make me want to get out my paints. They look like they are painted on corrugated cardboard, don’t they? Wouldn’t it be fun to try that? The following beauties are part of a series you likely did not know existed, and that is the Atlas of the Moon. It is hard to imagine that our government and the military produced these gorgeous pieces of art, but they did. The U.S. Geological Survey published these geologic maps of potential early Apollo landing sites on the Moon in 1969 and 1970 . The maps were constructed primarily...
read moreOdd and Interesting Maps: 1/25
Last year I did a webinar entitled “My Journey with Maps” (here is the link if you missed it). In the webinar I talked about some of my favorite maps, including the Mississippi Meander Maps that were created by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1930s and 40s, specifically by Dr. Harold Fisk, to trace the patterns of the river over a great length of time. I am obsessive about maps, some of them literally make me swoon, and these maps fall into that category. These are some of the most beautiful maps I have ever...
read moreMaps in the News: 1/16/13
The Before and After Map of Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy caused devastation in October to our north eastern neighbors. The destruction was massive; nearly 72,000 battered homes and businesses in New Jersey alone. The numbers are staggering. Here are some of them. 8,000,000 people without power 4.7 million kids stayed home from school 2.8 million outages across the Northeast 15,000 plus flights cancelled 6,100 people in emergency shelters in New York City 49 cancelled Broadway Performances 34″ of snow in one place 15 inches of rain...
read more
Listen to Me!