2015 - 2016
Finding Their Way: Maps of Exploration
December 15, 2016
“It’s human nature to stretch, to go, to see, to understand. Exploration is not a choice, really; it’s an imperative.” (Michael Collins) We invite you to join us as we follow some of the greatest expeditions to uncharted territories. We will feature maps of arctic exploration, the Lewis & Clark expedition, the Apollo missions, and beyond. Come and explore with us on December 15th, 4-7pm.
Plotting Revolution: A cartographic look at wars and revolutions in history
November 17, 2016
Come to the Stephen S. Clark Library as we look at some of the wars and revolutions that have shaped our modern world. Pulling from the Clark’s vast historical collection, we will feature maps of the American Civil War, the Napoleonic wars, silk maps from World War II, and numerous other wars, revolutions and rebellions around the world. Join us on November 17th, 4-7pm.
Happy Birthday, NPS! A Cartographic Celebration of 100 Years of Our National Parks
October 20, 2016
Join us for a cartographic celebration of 100 years of our national parks. Come and explore the varied and vast landscapes and monuments protected by the National Park Service. We'll feature 19th century maps of Yosemite and Yellowstone, as well as one of Michigan's own national parks, Isle Royale.
I Could Have Mapped All Night: Musicals from Broadway to Bollywood
September 15, 2016
Put on your top hat, muss up that white tie, and come dance down the Great White Way with us. We will explore the settings and time periods of some of the world’s most famous musicals, spanning from Broadway to Hollywood to Bollywood. We’ll feed the birds in London, hear the people sing in Paris, celebrate tradition in Anatevka, let anything go as we cross the Atlantic, have a rumble and sing about tomorrow in New York City, march with 76 trombones in River City, and dance with the king of Siam. Tails optional. September 15th 4-7pm
The Road to Xanadu: Charting the Lost World
June 16, 2016
Explore the lost world with us through maps of real and legendary lost cities and ghost towns. We'll explore the ruins of Persepolis, travel the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, rediscover Angkor in the jungles of Cambodia, and chart a course for Atlantis aboard the Nautilus.
The Geography of Shakespeare: Navigating Shakespeare's plays through maps
April 21, 2016
Help us celebrate the life and legacy of William Shakespeare by exploring Shakespeare's most famous works through maps of England, Italy, Paris, Cyprus and much more. On display will be William Camden's Britannia (1637), maps from John Speed's Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine (ca.1610), and early maps of Denmark & Cyprus, as well as many others.
Intersections/Connections Exhibit Opening
March 17, 2016
Join the opening celebration for the U-M Library International Studies exhibit Intersections/Connections which focuses on materials from across the world, including many nations and cultures. The exhibit concentrates on the connections and intersections among disparate regions, and we'll have additional maps of many areas of the world on display.
Maps of the Middle East: From Ancient to Modern
February 18, 2016
Join us for Third Thursday in the Clark Library, where we'll have maps of the Middle East on display. [Image is of Al-Idrisi's world map (1456)]
Recent Acquisitions and Hidden Treasures
January 21, 2016
Open House and Exhibit Opening. Join us to view the new exhibit, Recent Acquisitions and Hidden Treasures, plus other interesting items from the Clark Library's Map Collection. [Astral lantern, 1881]
Dining Out Exhibit Opening
October 15, 2015
Join us for another Third Thursday event in the Clark Library. This month's event highlights the exhibit currently on display, Dining Out: Menus, Chefs, Restaurants, Hotels, & Guidebooks, but we'll also be showing related maps from the collection. Light refreshments.
Textile Trade Ascendancies: Nigeria, UK, and China.
June 2015
Please join us for an open house and talk by Elisha P. Renne, Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan, on her current Clark Library exhibit - Textile Trade Ascendancies: Nigeria, UK, and China. Nigeria has a long history of handwoven textile production and trade. In the 20th century, manufactured textiles from the UK and later China have come to dominate the market although they have not entirely replaced Nigerian handwoven cloth. The exhibition provides viewers with a historical understanding of changing textile trade ascendancies in Nigeria and presents a picture of contemporary Chinese-Nigerian textile trade.
Without Cassini – Colbert and the administrative cartography of the French provinces, 1661-1683
April 16, 2015
Jean Boutier, Directeur d'Etudes at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (Marseille) and visiting scholar in the U-M Department of History, discusses new research on a little known project to map France, initiated by Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683), the powerful minister to Louis XIV.
Early modern maps of Paris – a history of measures and representations
March 19, 2015
At 4:00 pm Professor Boutier will lead a discussion of Paris maps and atlases on exhibit. His lecture will begin at 5:00 pm. A reception will follow the talk. Drawing from his definitive work Les plans de Paris des origines (1493) à la fin du XVIIIe siècle, (2e éd. 2007) Prof. Boutier discusses the history of Paris cartography using maps and atlases from the Clark Library collections. Image detail from the Turgot/Bretez Plan of Paris, 1739.
Charting the Wolverine: Exhibit Opening
January 15, 2015
Please join us for the opening of the exhibit "Charting the Wolverine" which explores the intersection of maps and art. Artist Elaine Wilson weaves the two together seamlessly in her project “Charting the Wolverine,” a series of her illustrations and paintings following the train route from Ann Arbor to Chicago. Wilson’s finished project is displayed in whole, supported by a small array of her sketchbooks, preliminary drawings and maps from U-M collections. We'll have related maps on display as well.