You Are Here: Maps and the Art of Travel

Normally, adventure starts with a map. In our new exhibit You Are Here: Maps and the Art of Travel maps are the adventure! Visit this exhibit in the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery Sept 4 - Nov 29, 2026.

We think of maps as functional documents that help us find our way in unfamiliar locations. This exhibition highlights how maps are also storytelling and artistic documents. They can tell us about the people, time and places they were made. Think of the many things we can learn from a map beyond location – how much history is in place names for example.

Cartographers, like artists, make choices about colors, lines and design to adapt the three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional format. Those choices affect the way we see our world. In this exhibition you will move between traditional maps and artistic creations to see the connections between the two forms.

"The Travels of Sir John Mandeville Beyond the Holy Land" by Peggy Gotthold

The exhibit includes pieces from the library's collection several of which have never been on display before. You'll also see pieces on loan from artists across the nation. With more than 40 pieces of art on display, you will have plenty of chances to examine the intersections and overlaps between maps and artistic creations. In addition to art, you can enjoy videos, hands-on puzzles and a compass challenge to test your map skills.