Andrew DeGraff: “You Are (Not Really) Here: The Art of Mapping Fiction and Film”

Houghton Library presents a lecture in conjunction with the exhibition Landmarks: Maps as Literary Illustration 
Tuesday, March 27, 5.30-7.30pm
Lamont Library, Forum Room, followed by a viewing of the exhibition and reception, Houghton Library
RSVP appreciated: http://bit.ly/2rD2POB

Houghton calendar: http://houghton75.org/?event=you-are-not-really-here-the-art-of-mapping-fiction-and-film&event_date=2018-03-27

“You Are (Not Really) Here: The Art of Mapping Fiction and Film”
Andrew DeGraff

While we love a good story, we are not always happy with it just being a story. We want to give it a sense of reality. There is no better way to authenticate or codify a story than with the creation of a map. The real question is: how objective can a mapper be when the subject itself is subjective? It is an exercise that is revealing of the artist, the storyteller, and the story itself as the story is translated from the medium to medium. In the harsh light of the mapper’s objectivity the map is often revealed for what it is: a subjective piece of art all its own. — Andrew DeGraff

Artist, freelance illustrator and educator Andrew DeGraff (creator/illustrator of Plotted: A Literary Atlas, and Cinemaps: An Atlas of 35 Great Movies) has been mapping places, stories, events, books and films for a decade. Through a combined tour of art, cartography, and his own work and influences he explores the boundaries of reality and fiction, the necessary fictions of mapping, and the realities that inform the process. DeGraff graduated from Pratt Institute’s Communications Design program with a focus in Illustration in 2001. He returned to Pratt to teach illustration from 2009 – 2014 and now teaches at the Maine College of Art. He recently published his second book, Cinemaps: An Atlas of 35 Great Movies from Quirk Books. Andrew has worked as an illustrator for clients such as: Visa, Sports Illustrated, Kellogg’s, The New York Times, GAP Kids, Anthropologie, and Leo Burnett. His gallery work has been shown in New York, Albany, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Calgary, Mexico City, and the Philippines.

For more on DeGraff, visit www.andrewdegraff.com