Founding Memories: America at 250 On view in our gallery: Tuesday, September 9th 2025 – Saturday, August 22nd 2026 In “Founding Memories: America at 250,” we use maps, textbooks, posters, and objects, from the 1770s to the 1970s—all taken from the rich collections of the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education—to reflect on the different and changing meanings that the Revolutionary War has had for Americans. We explore how municipalities, political figures, educational institutions, museums, libraries, corporations, artists, scholars, activists, and civic-minded individuals, among others, have used large commemorative events like centennials and bicentennials for their own purposes: to increase morale and patriotic sentiment, to raise money, to revise education curricula, to showcase “progress,” to bring communities together in celebration, and to challenge the status quo, to name but a few. This year-long exhibition is designed to engage viewers of all ages by investigating the iconography of the American Revolution.

Portraits with Maps: Independence and Betrayal in Maine On view in Glickman Family Arcade: Tuesday, September 9th 2025 through August 2026 This installation of silk and cotton banners created by artist Adrienne Ottenberg, highlights 13 women from Maine and 13 Conifer trees found throughout Maine. Each portrait here is a collage of drawing, watercolor, ink, and a map. The map chosen for each woman reflects on her life in Maine, and how the landscape of Maine shaped her life. The artist hopes it also gives a clue as to how each woman’s legacy has shaped our perceptions of Maine, and perhaps our understanding of the world. These banners are hanging in a public space, which is accessible anytime the Glickman Family Library is open, no appointment is necessary.

Educators Open House
Where: Map Lab at USM Lewiston-Auburn (51 Westminster Street, Lewiston)
When: 4:00-5:30pm on Monday, May 12th

View a mini-exhibit of some of our favorite maps, and learn more about Field Trips at the Map Lab! Refreshments will be provided.

*The first ten teachers to attend will receive a free globemaking kit for 24 students including cardstock globe sheets and scissors.

The Blue Humanities traces the alien and intimate poetics of water, in all the forms that water takes and all the element’s physical and cultural relationships with human beings. Buoyancy and asymmetry name essential forces that help us grasp the ways water structures the human relationship with our nonhuman environment.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. Parking is available in the Bedford Street garage for $4.15/hour.

Presented in conjunction with Tides of Change, the University of Maine System’s Second Annual Blue Humanities Forum.

Have you stopped to check out the ethereal banners hanging in the Glickman Library Arcade?

Please join us in welcoming the 2026 Peggy Osher Artist Fellow, Adrienne Ottenberg, back to the Osher Map Library for a series of opportunities to learn more about her work, “Portraits with Maps: Independence and Betrayal in Maine”. We’ll be hosting 3 opportunities to meet with the artist and hear more about her cartography background, creative process, and research techniques.

Walk & Talk: Tuesday April 14th, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Collage Workshop: Tuesday, April 14th, from 4 PM to 6 PM
Coffee Hour: Wednesday, April 15th, from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM

SAVE THE DATE – More Details To Come

These Events are free and open to the public [parking in garages or lots @$4.15/hour]

Osher Map Library “Founding Memories: America at 250” Lecture Series When we think of the American Revolution, we often picture a parochial drama: thirteen colonies squaring off against the British Crown in a spirited bid for independence. But this version of the story is only half the truth—and perhaps not even the most interesting half. In this riveting program, historian and author Richard Bell invites audiences to rediscover the Revolution as a world war that unleashed chaos, opportunity, and transformation across six continents. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND THE FATE OF THE WORLD Presenter: Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of the book Date: Wednesday, March 5th, 2026 Time: 5:30 PM Reception, 6 PM Lecture and 7:30 PM Book Signing Location: Hannaford Hall, Abromson Center, USM Free and open to the public [parking in garages or lots @$4.15/hour]

We’re sharing the love this month with our community and we invite you to join in! Date: Friday, February 20, 2026 Time: 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM Location: Osher Map Library Cohen Classroom (Glickman 103) There are a few ways to participate… 🔸 Drop off donations of crayons, markers, colored pencils, coloring books, glue sticks, stickers, watercolors, etc. at the Osher Map Library Reading Room before the event. 🔸 Join us to build the individual map kits! 🔸 Host your own event! All are welcome, no registration is necessary, just stop by and enjoy the community building!

Looking for some family fun during February Break? Drop in on Thursday, February 19, 2026, in the Osher Map Library Cohen Classroom (Glickman 103) for map activities, arts and crafts and snacks! Time: 10:30am – 12:30pm We have a roster of fun activities planned for our K-12 visitors: 🌎 Visit the reading room to see a collection of glorious globes and check our the Konkel Family Book Collection. 🎨 Get your hands dirty with some arts and crafts in the Cohen Educational Center, plus learn about our annual Illustrated Map Making Contest. 🍎 We will also have map puzzles on hand and plenty of snacks! All families are welcome, this event is free, and no registration is necessary–just stop on by and enjoy the fun!

Please join the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, and the Collaborative for Bioregional Action Learning & Transformation (COBALT) as we continue our 2025-2026 Back Cove Lecture Series with an illustrated historical lecture looking at the 19th and 20th century history of the changing nature of Portland’s Back Cove and surrounding areas. This is the second in a series of six Back Cove lectures and panel discussions that will take place throughout 2025-2026. “For The Love of Back Cove: Sharing Stories of Love About The Back Cove” Saturday, February 14th, 1pm-2:30pm University Events Room, 7th Floor, Glickman Family Library University of Southern Maine, Portland Campus Presenter: Glenn Page and Co.

Osher Map Library “Founding Memories: America at 250” Lecture Series In this virtual talk, Amber N. Wiley, PhD, discusses both her scholarly and pedagogical approaches to analyzing American history through the lens of the Afro-American Bicentennial Corporation (ABC). Inspired by the ABC’s work to identify and protect cultural landscapes related to Black American achievements ahead of the 1976 commemoration of the American Revolution, Wiley has taken up their charge to “continue the revolution” through the “process of decolonization, a movement toward self-realization and self-government by people determined not to be kept in a subject status.” The lecture will highlight Wiley’s public history, preservation, and teaching work in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC related to revolutionary histories in each locale. Online Webinar

Please join the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, and the Collaborative for Bioregional Action Learning & Transformation (COBALT) as we continue our 2025-2026 Back Cove Lecture Series with an illustrated historical lecture looking at the 19th and 20th century history of the changing nature of Portland’s Back Cove and surrounding areas. This is the second in a series of six Back Cove lectures and panel discussions that will take place throughout 2025-2026. “The Ecological History and Prospects of the Land and Waters of Casco Bay and the Broader Bioregion: Lessons for the Back Cove” Saturday, December 13th, 1pm-2:30pm University Events Room, 7th Floor, Glickman Family Library University of Southern Maine, Portland Campus Presenter: Dr. Barry Logan, Samuel S. Butcher Professor in the Natural Sciences, Bowdoin College

Join us as we welcoming back Billy Gérard Frank back to USM for a short film viewing and talk with the artist during his artist residency at the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education. We will screen Billy’s short film “Palimpsest” (Venice Bienale 2022), and have a discussion with the artist about History, Memory, and the role of the archive in his multimedia practice, especially his recent Indigo Entanglements series. Date: Wednesday, November 19th, 2025 Location: Performing Arts Center, Crewe Center for the Arts, University of Southern Maine (Portland Campus) Time: 5:30pm reception, 6pm Film and Discussion [event ends by 7:30pm] Free and open to the public [parking in garages or lots @$4.15/hour].

Please join the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, and the Collaborative for Bioregional Action Learning & Transformation (COBALT) as we continue our 2025-2026 Back Cove Lecture Series with an illustrated historical lecture looking at the 19th and 20th century history of the changing nature of Portland’s Back Cove and surrounding areas. This is the second in a series of six Back Cove lectures and panel discussions that will take place throughout 2025-2026. Understanding the Changing Nature of the Back Cove through an Historic Lens Saturday, November 15th, 1pm-2:30pm University Events Room, 7th Floor, Glickman Family Library University of Southern Maine, Portland Campus Presenter: Libby Bischof, Executive Director, Osher Map Library and Professor of History, University of Southern Maine

Please join us on Tuesday, November 4th, from 5:00pm-7pm at USM’s McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success Salons (2nd floor) as we welcome lawyer and Art Historian Amy Herman to Portland. The Art of Perception program teaches leaders across professions and around the world to analyze works of art to strengthen their observation, perception, and communication skills. In this highly interactive presentation Amy Herman will demonstrate how examining works of painting, sculpture, and photography can serve as a powerful tool for tackling complex problems—as well as everyday challenges by using a different lens to see what is there and what we are overlooking. Prepare to have your eyes opened in ways you didn’t realize they were closed. Reception: 5pm-5:30pm Presentation: 5:30pm-6:45pm Book Signing/Meet and Greet: 6:45pm-7:15pm This event is free and open to the public. Paid parking is available across the street in the Bedford Street Garage for $4.15/hour. This event is sponsored by the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education and the Department of Public Safety, University of Southern Maine

Creepy & Curious Collections Pop-up Exhibit The Osher Map Library Reading Room Thursday, October 30, 2025 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Eerie Entertainment in the Cohen Classroom Create your own Origami Bat and Macrame Skeleton Light refreshments will be provided, this event is FREE and open to all!

“Indigenous Portland: Wabanaki Ties to Casco Bay – Back Cove and the 1920 Maine Centennial.” Saturday, October 11th, 1pm-2:30pm University Events Room, 7th Floor, Glickman Family Library University of Southern Maine, Portland Campus Presenters: Donald Soctomah, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Passamaquoddy Tribe, and Micah Pawling, Associate Professor of History and Native American Studies, University of Maine; with special guest, Harley Bassett. Please join the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, and the Collaborative for Bioregional Action Learning & Transformation (COBALT) as we kick off our 2025-2026 Back Cove Lecture Series with a lecture exploring Wabanaki Ties to Casco Bay and the Back Cove, including the 1920 Maine Centennial events in Portland, presented by Donald Soctomah, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Passamaquoddy Tribe, and Micah Pawling, Associate Professor of History and Native American Studies at the University of Maine. Special guest,Harley Bassett (Passamaquoddy), will open the lecture by sharing songs (singing and drumming). This is the first in a series of six Back Cove lectures and panel discussions that will take place throughout 2025-2026.

REFLECTIONS AND NEW PERSPECTIVES ON MAPPING MAINE, NEW ENGLAND AND MARITIME CANADA The Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education in Portland, Maine, will host the 2025 conference, showcasing their extensive collections dating back to 1475, and utilizing the facilities of the University of Southern Maine, including the newly built McGoldrick Center for Student and Career Success. The Conference title is “Reflections and New Perspectives on Mapping Maine, New England and Maritime Canada,” and speaking invitations and an open call for presentations will be issued in the fall of 2024. There will also be a three-day post symposium tour of Maine, to include Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island, September 15-17.

World’s Fair Show in collaboration with USM class Anthropology 320

Cities, states, and nations are grappling with how best to commemorate histor­ical events and anniversaries in ways that are fair and accurate and that open public dialogue about the contested past. Several contributors to the new essay collection What We Know, What We Wish: Maine Statehood, Historical Commemoration, and the Urgency of Public History (UMass Press, 2025) will offer a brief illustrated panel presentation about Maine statehood and its commemoration as the starting point for a discussion with the audience about the value of history today. Thursday, August 21, 2025 – Reception: 5:30 – 6:00 PM – Panel Discussion and Book Signing: 6:00 – 7:15 PM Location: University of Southern Maine, Bedford Street, Portland, Wishcamper Center, Room 102/Community Room (Parking available in the Bedford Street Garage, $4.15/hour) Free and open to the public, registration is NOT required!

Annual Ball Lecture Thursday, May 1st, 20254:45pm-6:45pm Reception: 4:45pm-5:15pm Lecture and Q and A: 5:15pm-6:30pm Hannaford Hall, Abromson Center University of Southern Maine (Portland Campus) Join the Co-Curators of The Monhegan Wildlands: Art, Ecology, and the Resilience of a Maine Island (on display at the Bowdoin College of Art until June 1st) for an evening of learning and discussion. With its rugged shoreline, magnificent Cathedral Woods, and rustic fishing village, Monhegan Island in the Gulf of Maine has long been a haven for artists drawn to the splendor of its ocean vistas and picturesque wildlands and for ecologists fascinated by its complex natural history. Over the last two centuries, artists and photographers have observed pastureland recolonized by white spruce, those white spruce devastated by parasitic dwarf mistletoe infestation, and, today, deciduous trees—birch, aspen and maple—coming to dominate declining white spruce woodlands. Scientists, too, have documented change on Monhegan, drawing upon the methodologies of forest ecology to describe what came before and to elucidate mechanisms shaping the trajectories of forest succession.Monhegan’s history offers lessons for us all. This lecture, drawn from the exhibition, brings together artworks, objects and representations of ecological inquiry, and historical documents (including maps) and photographs to chart forest conversion and recovery on the island, and to document decades of remarkable conservation and stewardship. Image Credit: Rockwell Kent, Sun, Manana, Monhegan, 1907/ca.1950, Courtesy of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art

This exhibition will highlight a special selection of items from the collection chosen by the OML staff and friends. It will be on view to the public from February 28, 2025 through April 22, 2025.

Annual DiMatteo Lecture Mapping Memory and History: A Dialogue between Billy Gérard Frank’s Palimpsest and Indigo: Entanglements Friday, February 7th, 2025 Hannaford Hall (Albromson Center) 5:30pm Reception and Meet & Greet 6:00-7:30pm Lecture, film screening and Q & A Please join the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at the University of Southern Maine for our annual DiMatteo Lecture–an evening lecture, film screening, and discussion with acclaimed artist and filmmaker Billy Gérard Frank. Frank will discuss his Indigo: Entanglements series of paintings and screen his 2022 Venice Biennale short film, Palimpsest: Tales Spun from the Sea and Memory (the film’s New England premiere). Support for this event is generously co-sponsored by Indigo Art Alliance and Moss Galleries.

Looking for some family fun during February Break? Drop in on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, in the Osher Map Library Cohen Classroom (Glickman 103) for map activities, arts and crafts and snacks! We have a roster of fun activities planned for our K-12 visitors: 🌎 Visit the reading room to see a collection of glorious globes and check our the Konkel Family Book Collection. 🎨 Get your hands dirty with arts and crafts in the Cohen Educational Center, plus learn about our annual Illustrated Map Making Contest. 🍎 We will also have map puzzles on hand and plenty of snacks! All families are welcome, this event is free, and no registration is necessary–just stop on by and enjoy the fun!

Annual Mattson-New York Times Lecture The Dealer Speaks: Who Collects What and Why? Stories from the Map Trade with Laura Ten Eyck of Argosy Gallery and Antiques Road Show Wednesday, November 13th, 2024 McGoldrick Center Salons 5:30pm Reception and Meet & Greet 6:00-7:30pm Lecture and Q & A Registration is free with an optional donation to support the Osher Map Library Fund. More details coming soon! Laura Ten Eyck, a Toronto native, discovered her love for maps on a solo trek in Nepal when the wind whisked away her only guide. This moment ignited a passion that led her to an MFA in Visual Arts from NYU and a transformative apprenticeship at Manhattan’s legendary Argosy Book Store. Now the gallery director at Argosy, Laura has become a celebrated map dealer and appraiser, appearing on The Antiques Roadshow and CBS Sunday Morning. With deep roots in New York City—she lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where her love for maps and history continues to shape her extraordinary journey.

Explore unsettling histories and see some of our eeriest materials in the OML Collection to put you in the spooky spirit! Admission is free and open to all, light spooky refreshments will be provided. Pop-up Exhibit – The Osher Map Library Reading Room 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM Eerie Entertainment – Cohen Classroom Create Your Own Monsters & Spiders 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM Tarot Card Readings 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Chromolithography was used in the nineteenth century to create full-color and realistic images of the world. In geography, the process was used especially for the scenic, the special, and the spectacular. This exhibition explains the printing process and explores some of its particular applications to maps and bird’s-eye views.

This talk is based on a his current research into the maps that surround more than a century of Hollywood cinema. It will begin with a focus on “location maps,” which aimed to showcase sites within California that could plausibly stand in for other world locations onscreen. Then, the talk will zoom in on a disreputable genre of cartography commonly known as “star maps” which, sold in the open air by street vendors in Los Angeles, purported to offer directions to the homes of celebrities. Ellis aims to take these maps seriously as at once examples of a unique regional form of cartography and as an ephemeral history of American cinema.

This talk is based on a chapter from his recently published book “Democratic Spaces: Land Preservation in New England, 1850-2010.” He will discuss an important but often overlooked achievement in modern land preservation: the protection of natural areas in an urban environment. He’ll also address questions about how preservationists and neighborhood activists defined “wild” in an intensely built environment; how they achieved their remarkable successes in Boston and elsewhere, and how they created “backyard” natural landscapes in starkly underserved neighborhoods in the city.

Using the “Women as Agents of Change: Social Reform in USM’s Specialized Collections” exhibit as a jumping-off point, this talk explores the rich history of women’s activism in social reform movements in the United States. In movements such as temperance, abolition, anti-lynching, and suffrage, women have been integral to shaping the course of United States history. By foregrounding these movements, this talk makes the case for centering women’s history not only during Women’s History Month but throughout the year.

Chromolithography was used in the nineteenth century to create full-color and realistic images of the world. In geography, the process was used especially for the scenic, the special, and the spectacular. This lecture is in conjunction with the current gallery exhibition at the Osher Map Library, “A Pageant of Spectacles: Chromolithography in America”, which explains the printing process and explores some of its particular applications to maps and bird’s-eye views.

Looking for some family fun during February Break? Drop in on Thursday, February 22, 2024, in the Osher Map Library Cohen Classroom (Glickman 103) for map activities, arts and crafts and snacks! We have a roster of fun activities planned for our K-12 visitors: 🗺️ Check out our new chromolithography exhibit where you can join a scavenger hunt and try out our interactive code breaker game. 🌎 Visit the reading room to see a collection of glorious globes and check our the Konkel Family Book Collection. 🎨 Learn more about the printing process with arts and crafts in the Cohen Educational Center, plus learn about our annual Illustrated Map Making Contest. 🍎 We will also have map puzzles on hand and plenty of snacks! All families are welcome, this event is free, and no registration is necessary–just stop on by and enjoy the fun!

Join us Monday, February 26, 2024, for a conversation with Jessica Parr about “Geographies of Emancipation: Geospatial Technology in Mapping Black Thought in the Age of Revolutions.” This event will be presented on Zoom and tickets are limited to the first 90 registrants. This event is free and open to the public.