Maps Exhibit This Thursday in Downtown Muncie

Carto-GRAPHICS: Maps or Modern Art?

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is coordinating an exhibit, Carto-GRAPHICS: Maps as Art, for the Muncie Downtown First Thursday Arts Walk.  This Thursday, November 2, Twin Archer Brew Pub (117 West Charles Street) will be hosting the exhibit starting at 5:00 through 8:00 pm.

Dr. Jorn Seemann, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, has participated in the community arts project for two years.  This year Dr. Seemann’s cartography students created artistic maps of Indiana (above, click to enlarge).  The maps cover Indiana’s rich history depicted in interesting cartographic styles.

Dr. George Elvin, Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture, is an advocate of green design strategies and technology.  Students in Dr. Elvin’s class created large shelter structures that truly represent unique works of art.

Ball State University students in Heidi Jensen’s drawing class also created original maps for the exhibit.  Students visited the Map Collection in Bracken Library to explore the thousands of types of maps for inspiration; then they drew different kinds of artistic maps, including a garden and home neighborhood (above).  And student employees of the GRMC also created unique maps for the exhibit.

Maps from the exhibit last year can be viewed on the Libraries' Digital Media Repository.

TwinArcher Brew Pub serves all ages as a restaurant and a bar that serves craft beer.  The menu includes fresh ingredients every day.  The event is free and open to the public, and the map exhibit is in the western room next to the dining room.  (No purchase is required to attend the exhibit).

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Art of Cartography Presentation at Cornerstone Center for the Arts

Libby Vanderploeg

Burris Elementary School map of Muncie

Hannah Barnes 2015 art exhibit at University Libraries

First Thursday Arts Walk at Twin Archer, December 2016

Getting Carto-GRAPHIC: Art Maps Program in Downtown Muncie

The Ball State University Libraries GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) will provide a workshop featuring maps created as works of art.  The program will be in the Colonnade Room at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts (520 East Main Street) on Tuesday, October 17 from 6:30 to 7:30.

The program will include maps created by artists who specialize in creating cartographic works, including Martin Haake, Lucy Letherland, and Libby Vanderploeg (above).  And maps submitted to the Instagram “They Draw and Travel” account and books series will also be presented.  Books detailing the art of cartography from the Libraries’ collection will also be available.

Art students from Burris School created hand-drawn maps (above, click to enlarge) that will be presented in the program.  In December 2016, the GRMC coordinated a First Thursday Arts Walk maps exhibit called “Home.”  Students from Ball State University professors Hannah Barnes’ watercolor and Jorn Seemann’s cartography class created maps for the special show.  (The watercolor maps are included in a special collection in the Libraries’ DigitalMedia Repository).  These maps will be presented at the program, and attendees will get a sneak peek at some of the maps being created for another First Thursday exhibit on November 2.

The program will also include information about how to create maps using online resources and design software.  And attendees can learn about creating their own cartographic works that can be donated to the Libraries’ collection of maps or displayed as art.

Admission to the program is free and open to the public, and free parking is also available.  For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

International Day of the Girl Celebrated with Maps

ESRI Map of Women with Debit Cards

Girl Power in Maps:  Celebrating International Day of the Girl 

The International Day of the Girl was created by the United Nations in 2011 to celebrate the potential of girls across the world in the face of discrimination and other threats to their well-being.  The mission is to empower girls worldwide and bring awareness to issues like education, healthcare, and protection from discrimination, child marriage, and sexual assault.

The theme for this year is “EmPOWER Girls: Before, during, and after Conflict.”  According to the United Nations, girls in conflict zones or humanitarian crises are 90% more likely to be out of school and more likely to be subjected to violence and exploitation.

The Ball State University Libraries GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has a collection of maps and atlases that detail issues affecting girls around the world.  Cartographic resources like maps are an innovative format for depicting problems like access to contraception and healthcare, education, and clean water.  These maps can be used as informative visual aids for research and education projects, exhibits, and papers. 

The GRMC creates new maps related to international girls each year in celebration of Women’s History Month and other special events and exhibits.  Biographical maps about significant women in history are also included in the collection.

For more information about using maps for research and learning, contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

World Breast Cancer Rates Map from Ball State University Libraries

Mapping Breast Cancer around the World

The Ball State University Libraries GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) features one of the unique maps from the Collection as the “Map of the Month.”  The October “Map of the Month” is a map depicting the countries with the highest rates of breast cancer in the world.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the map (above, click to enlarge) identifies the countries with the highest breast cancer incidence per 100,000 women—all the countries have 75 cases and over based on 2002-2007 world age standardized rates.  (The United States has the highest rate with 101 per 100,000).

All of the countries are industrialized.  Women in industrialized countries are more likely to get breast cancer.  One in eight women in industrialized countries will develop breast cancer over an 85-year lifespan. 

The map was created using data from the Penguin Atlas of Women in the World by Joni Seager.  The atlas was published in 2009 and includes maps related to social topics like disease, marriage, birthrights, environmental resources, employment, and power.  The atlas is an excellent cartographic resource for visual aids for creative writing projects or presentations and is available in the Atlas Collection or the GRMC.

The GRMC provides access to online cartographic resources for educational projects and learning.  Contact the GRMC for more information about using maps in education and learning.