New Exhibit, New Map at the Mead Art Museum
The Mead Art Museum at Amherst College, features a gallery, "A Global View." One entire wall includes ODT's unusual Hobo-Dyer equal-area map. What makes this map unique is that it is oriented with South at the top of the map. “This map allows Mead visitors to challenge their preconceptions,” said Elizabeth Barker, museum director and chief curator. “This is what a successful museum aims to accomplish.” ODT's Bob Abramms will give a presentation on world maps on Sunday, December 5, at 4 pm.
Amherst, MA, December 03, 2010 --(PR.com)-- The Mead Art Museum which houses the art collection of Amherst College, recently had an entire make-over. The Museum has eight galleries with more than 16,000 works, ranging over a wide range of historical periods, national schools, and artistic media. One of those galleries, called "A Global View," features artifacts spanning several thousand years. To challenge assumptions about power and dominance an entire wall is dedicated to the largest Hobo-Dyer equal-area map ever produced...oriented with south-on-top. The map was customized to the Museum's exacting specifications so the image would complement the artifacts in the gallery. The original Hobo-Dyer map, has a bright color scheme ( http://odtmaps.com/detail.asp_Q_product_id_E_HDP-NI-21x33-F ) designed for the K-12 classroom to teach world geography. Katrina Greene, curatorial fellow at the Mead Art Museum, worked to select color changes that would integrate with the fascinating collection of historical artifacts. Greene worked over several weeks with Oxford Cartographers in the UK to meet the exhibit's exacting color motif. The map is online at https://www.amherst.edu/museums/mead/schedule/2010/hobodyermap
A column of text accompanies the map on the gallery wall, to explain the ways in which this provocative world map, was “commissioned by Amherst-based map publisher ODT and was designed by British cartographer Mick Dyer. First published in August 2002, the Hobo-Dyer projection and its South-Up variant argue that maps are inherently subjective. More than factual charts of our environment, maps shape our worldview.”
The college felt that it was imperative to treat all countries fairly and thus narrowed the selection of the “map projection” to only equal-area maps. Then they further narrowed the choices down to two finalists: the Peters-equal-area-map (made famous by the West Wing television show featuring the map) and the more recent Hobo-Dyer, created in 2002. In the end, the Hobo-Dyer won the day.
“This map allows Mead visitors to challenge their preconceptions,” said Elizabeth Barker, museum director and chief curator. “This is what a successful museum aims to accomplish.” The 84” wide Hobo-Dyer world map is located in the Kunian Gallery. ODT's founder, Bob Abramms will give a presentation on world maps and the production of this specific version on Sunday, December 5, at 4 pm in the William Green Study Room at the Museum. For details contact Karen Cardinal at kcardinal@amherst.edu, or Ann Hopkins at odtstore@odt.org.
ODT publishes world map images that teach people to see the world from a broader, more inclusive perspective. Their maps, books and DVDs are used in Media Literacy programs, as well as Social Studies and Geography programs worldwide. They publish the "What's Up? South!" world map, the Hobo-Dyer world map, the Population map, as well as books (Seeing Through Maps) and DVDs (including Many Ways to See the World.which will be shown at the December 5th event). The map can also now be purchased on a one-off basis from ODT's web site at http://www.odtmaps.com/detail.asp_Q_product_id_E_Hobo-Dyer-Mead
Images of the map installation are available from ODT:
Email odtstore@odt.org or call 800-736-1293.
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A column of text accompanies the map on the gallery wall, to explain the ways in which this provocative world map, was “commissioned by Amherst-based map publisher ODT and was designed by British cartographer Mick Dyer. First published in August 2002, the Hobo-Dyer projection and its South-Up variant argue that maps are inherently subjective. More than factual charts of our environment, maps shape our worldview.”
The college felt that it was imperative to treat all countries fairly and thus narrowed the selection of the “map projection” to only equal-area maps. Then they further narrowed the choices down to two finalists: the Peters-equal-area-map (made famous by the West Wing television show featuring the map) and the more recent Hobo-Dyer, created in 2002. In the end, the Hobo-Dyer won the day.
“This map allows Mead visitors to challenge their preconceptions,” said Elizabeth Barker, museum director and chief curator. “This is what a successful museum aims to accomplish.” The 84” wide Hobo-Dyer world map is located in the Kunian Gallery. ODT's founder, Bob Abramms will give a presentation on world maps and the production of this specific version on Sunday, December 5, at 4 pm in the William Green Study Room at the Museum. For details contact Karen Cardinal at kcardinal@amherst.edu, or Ann Hopkins at odtstore@odt.org.
ODT publishes world map images that teach people to see the world from a broader, more inclusive perspective. Their maps, books and DVDs are used in Media Literacy programs, as well as Social Studies and Geography programs worldwide. They publish the "What's Up? South!" world map, the Hobo-Dyer world map, the Population map, as well as books (Seeing Through Maps) and DVDs (including Many Ways to See the World.which will be shown at the December 5th event). The map can also now be purchased on a one-off basis from ODT's web site at http://www.odtmaps.com/detail.asp_Q_product_id_E_Hobo-Dyer-Mead
Images of the map installation are available from ODT:
Email odtstore@odt.org or call 800-736-1293.
###
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800-736-1293
www.ODTmaps.com
Fax: 413-549-3503
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