In March 2008 graphic designer Kris Harzinski...

Sep. 8, 2010 at 4:01pm with 28 notes View comments

In March 2008 graphic designer Kris Harzinski founded the Hand Drawn Map Association. Fascinated by these accidental records of a moment in time, Harzinski soon amassed a wide variety of maps, ranging from simple directional maps, to maps of unusual or fictional places, including examples drawn by well-known historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Ernest Shackleton, and Alexander Calder.

Kris Harzinski along with the book contributors Will Haguhery and Matthew Rodriguez present a selection of these artifacts that tell stories of people around the world.

Copies of From Here to There: A Curious Collection from the Hand Drawn Map Association are available for purchase and signing at the event.

The vast majority of the Hand Drawn Map Association ’s collection features maps people draw to provide directions from one place to another. These maps often reveal an interesting and individualized vision of a place but are frequently discarded after use. The HDMA rescues these pieces of ephemera, archives them, and presents them to the public through our website and other public venues. Since the project began, our collection has grown to not only include these simple, scribbled maps but also a vast array of creative interpretations of place. From individuals who construct fictional maps of intricate, imagined worlds, to artists who use maps or diagrams as a creative device, to works by amateur and professional cartographers, our collection has become a unique juxtaposition of works on paper representing the world around us. The internet archive currently features over 350 maps collected since 2008 many of which are housed in our physical archive as well.