Local Events

This page lists map-related exhibits and lectures in or near the Greater Boston area.

These events are not Boston Map Society events, but they may be of interest to our members.

A SENSE OF PLACE: Exploring Newport and Narragansett Bay Through Historic Maps
Where: Redwood Library and Athenaeum, 50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island
When: March 7 through December 29, 2011; Mon-Sat 9:30-5:30 (Thursday open until 8:00pm)
More information: http://www.redwoodlibrary.org/events/exhibits.html

Visions and Revisions: The Cartographic Construction of Canals An exhibition of maps related to some of the major canal projects in history (such as the Panama, Suez, Erie).
Where: Map Gallery Hall, Pusey Library, Harvard Yard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
When: through Feb. 15, 2012; Monday through Friday, 10:00am-5:00pm
More information: http://hcl.harvard.edu/info/exhibitions/index.cfm#hmc

Prints and the Pursuit of Knowledge in Early Modern Europe
Where: Sackler Museum, Harvard University
When: Through December 10, 2011; Tue-Sat 10:00-5:00
Admission: $9 (seniors $7); free Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, 3-5pm.
This broad exhibition explores how Northern Renaissance artists contributed to the scientific investigations of the 16th century. One section of the exhibition focuses on the relationship of printmaking to geography and the growth of geographic knowledge. Included in the exhibition are a number of rare and striking cartographic works.
More information: http://www.harvardartmuseums.org/exhibitions/ppkdetail.dot?id=33226

Mapping a New Town: 1714-1874 An exhibition of maps of Newton
Where: The Jackson Homestead and Museum, 527 Washington St., Newton, Massachusetts
When: ongoing. Tuesday-Friday, 11:00am to 5:00pm; Saturday & Sunday, noon to 5:00pm (closed Mondays and major holidays)
Admission: Adults: $5 (Newton residents: $2); Children/Seniors: $3 (Newton residents: $1)
More information: http://www.historicnewton.org

Torn in Two: 150th Anniversary of the Civil War An exhibition by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center.
Where: Boston Public Library (McKim building)
When: May 12, 2011 through Dec. 31, 2011
This multimedia exhibition takes a geographic and cartographic approach to exploring and illuminating the causes of the conflict, the conduct of the war and how the war was remembered in later years. It will showcase 50 historic maps interwoven with 40 photographs, paintings, prints, diaries, political cartoons, music and press of the period, all from the Boston Public Library's special collections. A fully illustrated, 152-page exhibition catalog is available for US $35.00; for information about purchasing a copy, send inquiries to maps@bpl.org.

On Sept. 21, 2011, the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library will host a one-day symposium in conjunction with this Civil War exhibition. Four authors who contributed essays to the exhibition catalog will be speaking: Debra Newman Ham, ‘Thenceforward and Forever Free’, A Brief Overview of the Quest for Emancipation in the United States; Susan Schulten, Mapping the Sectional Crisis: Cotton, Slavery, and the Strength of the Rebellion; Richard F. Miller, The Battle of Balls Bluff: Would Terrain Maps Have Made a Difference?; and Ronald Grim, Remembering the War through Maps: Creating the Gettysburg Post-Battle Maps. Gallery tours of the exhibition will also be provided. The symposium will be held from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm in the Rabb Auditorium on the Concourse Level of the Boston Public Library at Copley Square. There is no registration fee, but an RSVP indicating intentions of attending should be sent to maps@bpl.org.