This month, Jackalope Ranch opened its first curated exhibition, You Are Here: A Collection of Maps of Phoenix, at Regular Gallery. While you still have a chance to check out the show, which will be up until November 12, we'll give you a little background on each creation.
1. What were the inspirations for your map?
I did a ton of research and it was fun. I looked through the Rumsey map collection online, but mostly I sought out maps that hang at diners, touristy maps with large attractions and bright colors. As well as vintage auto maps for great typography.
2. Give us a childhood memory of a map.
I was never a big map person as a child. I wasn't much for rules or order or directions. But my mom always kept one Arizona road map, and one California road map in her car. When I inherited her car, it came with both.
3. Do you think maps and cartography are important?
I love maps! Such an interesting study about how we all interpret the space that we live in. The paper map may be less used, but I think with google maps on our phone, we probably use maps as a getting around tool more than ever. Plus cartographer is such a great word.
4. What are your map's boundaries and how did you choose them?.
For my smaller map, I did the actually city of Phoenix territory. For my bigger map, I made of list of places I wanted to include, and then edited out the far lying ones.
5. Would you create another map and/or representation of Phoenix?
Yes, this project was much more difficult than I expected! I really tried to stick to the idea of a map being a somewhat helpful tool and I didn't think it would be so hard to follow the rules! If I were to do it again, I would just be more Sarah hurwitzy about it, messy and layered, and accuracy out the window.
See Hurwitz's work, along with pieces by Safwat Saleem, Melinda Bergman, Monica Aissa Martinez, Angela Cazel Jahn, Marshall Shore, Breeze, Sue Chenoweth, Carrie Marill, and Luster Kaboom, visit Regular Gallery during gallery hours (Fridays from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m.) or email [email protected] for a private showing.
