New Scottsdale Arts Exhibition to Explore Visual Stories With Maps

Scottsdale Public Art's newest exhibition, “Maps —Contours of a Story,” running Jan. 9 through March 27, 2025, at Scottsdale Civic Center Library, is a juried exhibition of artist maps that illustrate moments, ideas and stories.

The concept for this exhibition originated when Wendy Raisanen, curator of collections and exhibitions for Scottsdale Public Art, a department of the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts, participated in a fiber art class with co-curator Saskia Jordá. During the class, one of the assignments involved creating a personal map. 

“I thought that was the coolest idea,” Raisanen said. “I love maps; a lot of people love maps. You can see where you are in the state, in the nation, in the world, and there's something comforting about it. Artists can look at the idea of a map in a totally different way. There are a few that use antique maps in the artworks, but most people are mapping out events in their lives.” 

One of these artworks is a cast aluminum sculpture by Mary Bates Neubauer. This sculpture maps numerical data in three dimensions. To realize these 3D models, custom coding was utilized, resulting in sculptural forms that look like landscapes but are not. They map numbers through time, presenting a nuanced picture of a “moment” in geological time. 

Alongside Neubauer's sculpture, this exhibition features artwork of many mediums, including felted wool, acrylic paint, woven textiles, marble tile, handmade paper and digital prints. Among these is "Radius IV," a multimedia piece by co-curator and Phoenix-based fiber artist Saskia Jordá. 

“Maps are not just about physical locations; they're about the invisible lines we draw — between places, people and ideas,” Jordá said. “Through my work, I explore how these lines shape our sense of identity and belonging, inviting viewers to question the boundaries we take for granted.” 

“Radius IV” is part of the “Disputed Territories” series. These artworks explore “place identity” through hatched, colored lines and questions the ways in which we divide, use and share land, including how our borders (or lack thereof) determine our interactions with the land we inhabit. 

“I hope that people can sort of expand their conception of what a map is and can do,” Raisanen said. “A map can illustrate a story, and that story can be how a person migrated from Cuba to America or the feeling that they got while they were considering a next life step. A map can be a dotted line from A to B, but it also can be an ethereal concept or a leap of faith from one place to another.” 

“Maps—Contours of a Story” will run from Jan. 9 through March 27 at the Civic Center Public Gallery, located inside Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3948 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251. In addition to the exhibition itself, there will be an opening reception to meet the artists from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2024, at the Civic Center Public Gallery. 

Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation has also organized two creative workshops in association with this exhibition. On Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 10:30 a.m., guests can join Jordá to imagine and build a fictional place by tracing, cutting and layering paper, maps and recycled materials. And on Thursday, March 13, at 10:30 a.m., artist Jen Urso will lead attendees in creating customized maps, using various drawing materials that detail their real and imagined favorite places, daily journeys and life histories. Both workshops are free, but RSVP is required. They will be presented at Scottsdale Civic Center Library. 

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