Baltimore is hosting a Festival of Maps this spring, with exhibits of maps ranging from ancient Rome to outer space to Baltimore neighborhoods, along with tours and workshops sponsored by more than 20 arts and cultural organizations.
The festival was organized by the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance.
The centerpiece of the festival is an exhibit at the Walters Art Museum called “Maps: Finding Our Place in the World,” which runs through June 8. That exhibit includes a map of Colonial America from 1784, maps from ancient Rome and Babylonia, a chart used by Charles Lindbergh on his historic flight from New York to Paris, a Leonardo da Vinci map and a map made by the 16th century Flemish cartographer, Gerardus Mercator. Mercator is credited with developing a way of depicting the globe on a flat surface. His mathematically-based projections made it easier for sailors to navigate.
The Walters Art Museum is also featuring images from the Hubble Space Telescope, through July 27, in a show called “Mapping the Cosmos,” and events such as “Watercolor and Line: Techniques for Traditional Mapmaking” (April 25 and May 2, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., $100). The Walters Art Museum, at 600 N. Charles St., is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and until 8 p.m. Fridays; www.thewalters.org or 410-547-9000. (Admission to “Finding Our Place” is $12; “Mapping the Cosmos” is free.)
Here are some of the other events in the Baltimore’s Festival of Maps. For a complete schedule or more information, visit www.baltimorefestivalofmaps.com or call the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association at 877-225-8466.
“Borders and Boundaries: The Mason-Dixon Line,” featuring the rare 76-by-27-inch map of the “boundary between the provinces of Maryland and Pennsylvania.” The map was printed in 1768. March 25 through June 29 at the Maryland Historical Society, 201 W. Monument St., www.mdhs.org or 410-685-3750, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, $4.
“Literary Mount Vernon,” a free tour through the haunts of notable residents of this downtown neighborhood, including Edgar Allan Poe, H.L. Mencken and Tupac Shakur; 1 p.m. April 5 and May 3, using a map created by a local artist, departing from Old St. Paul’s Rectory, 24 W. Saratoga St. Sponsored by the Maryland Humanities Council, www.mdhc.org or 410-685-0095.
“Mapping Mary Pickersgill’s Baltimore: A Walking Tour,” explores the Jonestown neighborhood of Mary Pickersgill, who sewed the flag that inspired the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. April 26 and May 17, $3, starting from The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House, 844 E. Pratt St., the house where Pickersgill lived in the early 1800s; www.flaghouse.org or 410-837-1793.
“Mapping Science,” an exhibit about how maps are used in astronomy, biology, paleontology and earth science. Through June 8 at the Maryland Science Center, 601 Light St., www.mdsci.org or 410-685-5225, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday, (until 5 p.m. Sundays and 5 p.m. weekdays after March 31), $14.50. The science center is also hosting “Mapping with Radar,” a series of maps derived from radar, some over 50 years old, showing topography, vegetation and land use, including a 9-foot-map of the West Coast produced from a single piece of film. The radar exhibit is sponsored by the Historical Electronics Museum.
“Mapping the Underground Railroad,” a lecture and book-signing, 1 to 2:30 p.m. April 19, by William Switala, professor at Duquesne University and author of three books on the Underground Railroad. This is one of a series of activities related to the maps festival scheduled for weekends this spring at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, 830 E. Pratt St., www.africanamericanculture.org or 443-263-1800, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays, $8.
“Re-Mapping: The Story of This Place,” a 40-minute audio interpretation of a map of Baltimore with stories and characters real and imagined by artist Kianga Ford. Through May 11, at the Contemporary Museum, 100 W. Centre St., www.contemporary.org or 410-783-5720, noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, $5.
“387 Feet Above,” exhibit of art that maps Baltimore using views from the Top of the World observation deck, March 29 through June 8, on the perimeter rails at Top of the World, 401 E. Pratt St., 27th floor, www.promotionandarts.org/topoftheworld or 410-837-8439, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, $5.
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