Dates: Tuesdays from 1 – 3 on Zoom starting January 30th, February 6th and then skipping a week and ending on February 20th.
Cost: $30 per person. Please pre-register. You can pay by e- transfer to sue@poachedeggwoman.ca or send a cheque to me at Box 128, Kerry Farm, Abernethy, SK. S0A 0A0.
Description: Do you love maps? I have always been fascinated by maps, and enjoy studying them. I loved the imaginary maps in the endpapers of some children’s books like Winnie the Pooh. As an adult, I have occasionally painted maps – both real and fanciful.
When I was 20, I was invited to create my own map, making the things I really loved LARGE and other things small depending on how I felt about them. I have never forgotten how fun this was – this is the seed for “Go forth and MAP!”
Exploring this idea further, I listened to a podcast entitled “Mapping the Invisible” – about what we don’t usually put on maps. Rebecca Solnit, one of the speakers says, “The Google maps on our phones are very limiting. They get us from here to there, tell us how many minutes it will take and help us know where we are. We learn about shoe stores or restaurants. But, they miss so much.”
Solnit says, “Go forth and MAP!” Here are some ideas she and I came up with:
- maps of sweet spots, road kill patterns or dreamspaces
- your ideal neighbourhood, accessible places, maps showing where you connect with nature
- a map showing where the sunflowers grow, where public toilet can be found, places that serve mouth watering food
- where to find beauty in your neighbourhood, a map between two places (a familiar route)
- maps of sounds, of all the Timmie’s in your city, dog friendly places
- maps of places you have been, places you long to go to, maps of desire and imagination
- maps that highlight Treaty 4 or 6, that tell a story of history (untold stories of your neighbourhood)
- or simply a map like the one I got to make when I was twenty!!
Maps sometimes use symbols to show wher items of interest are. We could design our own symbols.
Once you register, I will send out instructions to prepare for our first gathering. Typically, we will get together on Zoom at 1 p.m. for a short introduction, create our maps, and reconvene on Zoom before 3 p.m. to share our works in progress and learn from each other.