Special Collections The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries Vol. XV III* No. 1 * Spring 2004

The theme for the fourth biennial Virginia Garrett Lectures on the History of Cartography will be Mapmaker’s Vision, Beholder’s Eyes: The Art of Maps. Traditionally maps have served utilitarian purposes, such as helping us get from point A to point B; marking the location of geological formations, vegetation, and other physical characteristics; and outlining political and cultural features, just to name a few. But maps also resonate aesthetically with their creators and users. On Friday, October 1, 2004, the Virginia Garrett Lectures will explore the many ways in which maps reflect the connection between cartography and art. This not only includes those maps that are depicted in works of art from Renaissance paintings to modern post cards, but also the way artists actually create works of art that are, in effect, maps. These lectures build on an enduring theme, for throughout history, there has been a close relationship between maps and art. The lectures will also illustrate the strong connection between the science of mapmaking and the creative and artistic expression that mapmakers bring to their work.

The speakers and their topics are:

• Dennis Reinhartz, University of Texas at Arlington, "The Eye of the Beholder? On the Beauty of Maps."

• Patricia Gilmartin, University of South Carolina, "Art in Modern Cartography."

• Denis Cosgrove, University of California at Los Angeles, "Bringing Home the War: Military Violence in Art and Cartography."

• Lucia Nuti, University of Pisa, "Urban Maps as Paintings: From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance."

• David Woodward, University of Wisconsin, "The 1980 Art and Cartography Lectures of the Newberry Library Revisited."

In addition to the Virginia Garrett Lectures on October 1, the Texas Map Society will hold its fall meeting on Saturday, October 2. Both meetings will be held on the sixth floor of the Central Library at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). The UTA campus is home to the Virginia Garrett Cartographic History Library and is located centrally in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

For more information about the Virginia Garrett Lectures, please contact Kit Goodwin, Cartographic Archivist for Special Collections, at 817-272-5329 or goodwin@uta.edu.

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