Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 9/19/00
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple   5

TRAVELING EXHIBIT IS "SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A MAP"
     HAMMOND -- Maps serve many more purposes than showing us how to get from one
point to another. They are at once artistic, scientific and technological creations. As pictures of
the world, they reflect a people's cultural beliefs and perceptions as well as document the times
in which they are produced.
     These and other concepts are illustrated in the new traveling exhibition "So Much More
Than Just a Map: Perspectives on Louisiana and the New World." The exhibit is on display
through October 1 at Southeastern Louisiana University's Sims Memorial Library.
     Based on the popular show of the same name on view at the Louisiana State Museum's
Presbytere in New Orleans, the traveling version of the exhibit features more than 35
cartographic reproductions chronicling several centuries of mapmaking.
     "So Much More Than Just a Map" is divided into several thematic sections. The first
section, the map as cultural assumption, explores the "rule of ethnocentricity"-- placing one's
own territory at the center of a world map. Another section illustrates how maps function as
ethnographic records, displaying qualities unique to a given group, such as Native Americans. 
     The exhibition also shows how maps evolved from "foundation" or "mother" maps and
showcases the artistry of map making through beautiful examples of the cartographer's craft. 
     The traveling version of "So Much More Than Just a Map" was produced by the
Louisiana State Museum and the Louisiana Center for the Book with additional support from the
Friends of the Cabildo. It is also a program of the State Library of Louisiana. The permanent
exhibition, which features more than 100 original and reproduced maps, was sponsored by the
Lupin Foundation with additional support provided by the Louisiana Museum Foundation and
the Friend of the Cabildo.
     For additional information, call Southeastern's Clark Hall Gallery, 504-549-5080.
                             -SLU-
Press release available online at www.selu.edu./NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newsf00.htm