Winterthur Museum: Map Exhibition and Conference in Delaware

[txmapsociety]

A Winterthur Exhibition."Common Destinations: Maps in the American Experience" (open from April 20, 2013 to January 5, 2014). Here is an excerpt from the blurb: "Today maps are known simply as tools to help us reach our destination, but in the 18th and 19th centuries they were key to the American experience and became the social glue that bound strangers into a community. During this time, maps evolved from rare collectibles to ubiquitous objects that were central to men’s and women’s senses of self. This exhibition takes you on a journey into the importance of maps in everyday life and material culture and features selections from Winterthur's fascinating collection of traditional maps on paper as well as map-related objects, such as ceramics, geographic playing cards, and printed handkerchiefs."

A Winterthur Conference. "Common Destinations: Maps in the American Experience" (October 11-12, 2013). At this two-day gathering, a group of leading scholars will reflect on the material nature of American maps popular before 1900, and curators will offer guided tours as well as workshops on map-making. Join us on a guided journey through maps in everyday life, featuring discussions of maps as tools and spectacles, as disposable knickknack and art objects, as sources of fantasy, and as the glue for social community.

For more info, contact the Winterthur Museum by phone at 800.448.3883 or visit http://winterthur.org/commondestinations.

Dr. Martin Brückner
Associate Professor
English Department
Center for Material Culture Studies
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716