by Kathleen Cammarata

Maps show us the face of history. In early maps religious, cultural, and historical ideas overshadowed accurate geography. Angels on the sidelines blew clouds to represent wind. Greek gods and goddesses frolicked in the four corners. Sea monsters rose threateningly out of the waters. And, later, ships crossed the oceans for trade. The images were magnificently drawn but the geography was riddled with mistakes.

Men made maps of men's activities and political persuasions for centuries. Women were not cartographers.

I have altered maps to reflect a woman's world. In two series of collages incorporating reproductions of 16th and 17th century maps from calendars, I have mixed sources using Renaissance women's portraits, mathematical figures, illustrations of animals, flowers, and butterflies, and injections of contemporary writing. By juxtaposing black and white images against traditional color maps, boundaries are broken, history is disturbed, and a new story is created.

These maps chart relationships. Gauguin's famous painting titled "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We going?" comes to mind. In my maps there is a telltale monkey hinting at evolution, plant seeds to be planted, music notes to be played, all in relation to the map. How can all these seemingly disparate elements occupy the same world? How have they interrelated through time? Where do we come from? Where are we going?

In a series of map monoprints all references to history are eliminated. Land masses are layered emphasizing the idea that borders are man-made and all interactions abide in possibilities rather than certainties. Longitude and latitude lines are chaotic and the four cardinal directions do not exist. These maps do not adhere to conventions but rather allow the viewer to invent his/her own sense of place.

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Kathleen Cammarata is an American artist, working in the studio for 40 years and living in San Miguel for 12 years. She has had numerous solo and group exhibitions. Presently she has paintings at the Museo de Arte de Queretaro. Her work is collected in the USA, Canada, Mexico and Europe.

Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2011 New England Biolabs, Ipswich MA
2010 Hampden Gallery, UMass Amherst, MA
2009 AVA Gallery, Lebanon NH
Regis College, Weston MA
2007 Gallery Anthony Curtis, Boston
2006 Art Advisory LLC, Boston
2005 Copley Society of Art, Boston
Boston Printmakers Biennial, Boston
2004 UMass Lowell, Lowell MA
2003 MIT Dean's Gallery, Cambridge MA
2002 Copley Society of Art, Boston

Selected Juried Exhibitions:
2011 Chain Letter Show, Samson Projects, Boston
Faculty show, DeCordova Museum, Lincoln MA
2010 thINK, Boston Printmakers @ Huntsville Museum, AL ; Buena Vista
University, IA
2009 National Drawing Show (First Prize) South Shore Art Center, Cohasset MA
2008 Northeast Prize Show, Cambridge MA
2006 On the Waterfront (Patron's Choice Award) Copley Society of Art, Boston
2004 Print Show, Villa Pignano, Italy
2003 Printmakers Show, Copley society of Art, Boston
Blackstone Print show, Brickbottom Gallery, Somerville MA
2002 Figurative show (Second Prize) South Shore Art Center, Cohasset MA
Collage Show, Spring Show, and Fall Show, Copley Society of Art, Boston

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