New map exhibit to show how two women artists visualize the world

For Charlotte Bassin and Deborah Cole, maps are more than just representations of land or geographical features, they also offer an opportunity to explore materials, space and forms.

The Earth Sciences & Map Library’s upcoming exhibit, No Boundaries: Women Transforming the World, will put their work on display along with a number of maps by women cartographers from the map collection highlighting the historic and current role of women in cartography, exploration and geographic representation.

“We are pleased and excited to work with Charlotte and Deborah to develop this exhibit,” said Naomi Heiser, map curator and coordinator of the exhibit. “Deborah’s art opens up intimate imaginary worlds through the re-working of actual maps. The world map, as we’re used to seeing it, is transformed by Charlotte’s innovative use of materials, color and techniques. We hope these works will inspire curiosity in our visitors about the function of maps, reveal new ways of seeing geospatially and spark creative inspiration.”

No Boundaries: Women Transforming the World will be on display April 17 until May 2024.

About the artists:

 

Charlotte Bassin

Charlotte Bassin has been an artist and world traveler all her life. Born in Boston, Massachusetts to immigrant parents, she spent her summers as a child with family in Europe. Before getting a degree in Fine Art, she took a year to travel the world equipped with a sketchbook, journal, camera and backpack. It was the start of a life-long passion for world travel and inspired the creation of a series of more than 100 artistic world maps. She now lives in Golden, Colorado with her husband, two daughters and a Goldendoodle, Bailey. She finds a good balance between a career as a web/graphic designer, travel/wildlife photographer and being a professional artist.

 

Deborah A. Cole

Deborah A. Cole holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of New Mexico. She has taught middle school art classes and drawing, printmaking, marathon running and rock-climbing to college students. Her prints, paintings and artist’s books have been exhibited and won awards nationally. Her found-object sculptures have stood beside irrigation ditches and riverbanks in New Mexico and along Roman roads and rights-of-way in the U.K. Her non-fiction writing has appeared in Climbing magazine and her poetry in Frogpond, Ribbons and beside a street in Santa Fe, NM as part of Axle Contemporary’s Haiku Roadsign project.