January 9, 2023
Our urban atlas collections—the maps that you’ll find in our Atlascope tool—are so rich in detail, so packed with information about the Boston of a century ago, that it’s easy to get lost in them. Soon, we’ll be seeing the atlases in a new light, enlivened with narrative and images in our new in-person exhibition, Building Blocks, which opens this Friday. At the same time, we’ll also release the latest version of Atlascope, featuring opportunities to tell stories, annotate map layers, and open up other research collections. Meanwhile, a broader sweep on geographical history will also arrive in our gallery with the launch of our permanent exhibition Becoming Boston. There’s never been a better time to see how the Leventhal Center’s historical collections, digital tools, discovery opportunities, and geographical research programs weave together.
Building Blocks: Boston Stories from Urban Atlases
Our new featured exhibition, Building Blocks: Boston Stories from Urban Atlases, opens this Friday, January 13 in our gallery at the Central Library in Copley Square! Building Blocks explores an extraordinary moment of urban transformation in Boston through the lens of the Center’s urban atlases, a collection of maps that display property, street, utility, and building information, and are especially well-suited for discovering change and small-scale interventions in the built environment.
Becoming Boston: Eight Moments in the Geography of a Changing City
Also opening this Friday, January 13 is our new permanent exhibition, Becoming Boston: Eight Moments in the Geography of a Changing City. In the eight cases of this exhibition, we follow the changing spatial forms of the place we now call Boston—from before the landscape carried that name all the way through the struggles, clashes, and dreams that continue to reshape the city today.
In-Person: Curatorial Introduction for Building Blocks · Jan 18, 6:00pm ET
Join us on January 18 with Exhibition Curatorial Fellow Laura Lee Schmidt for an introduction of our new, featured exhibition, Building Blocks: Boston Stories from Urban Atlases, including a curatorial talk, Q+A session, and opportunity to explore the material on display
How much of Boston sits on landfill?
One-sixth! That’s right: One-sixth of Boston sits on land that was once tidal estuaries, shallow marshes, and mud flats. In their latest article, Ezra Acevedo maps the city’s shoreline change and landfill projects up through the twentieth century.
Virtual: Climate Justice Design Fellowship Showcase · Jan 11, 12pm ET
Join us for a virtual project showcase of the inaugural Climate Justice Design Fellowship of the Harvard University Climate+Data Initiative. The fellows' projects explore climate displacement, impacts of hazardous waste contamination, opportunities to build adaptive infrastructure, visions for urban futures, and other aspects of environmental justice from around the country.
Thank you, donors!
In the beginning of December, we set a goal to raise $2,023 before the start of 2023. Thanks to our incredible supporters, we raised more than double! This support is crucial in keeping our programs free, creative, and welcoming for all of our audiences. Thank you!
The Leventhal Map & Education Center is an independent nonprofit. We rely on the contributions of donors like you to support our mission of preserving the past and advancing the future of maps and geography.
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Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library
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