Joanne Coutts, Cartographer and 2024 Artist-in-Residence at Glen Arbor Arts Center

Joanne Coutts spent part of May 2024 doing field research for an interpretative map of the Lake Michigan shoreline as an Artist-in-Residence at the Glen Arbor Arts Center. A Detroit resident, Joanne’s approach to mapmaking is not conventional, and what she ultimately produced from her residency was a dynamic, dimensional map of the area she staked out in Glen Arbor Township.

“My cartography encourages us to reconsider our preconceptions about maps and map-making by challenging the ‘view from nowhere,’ that is common practice in Western cartography,” Joanne wrote. “My maps consider navigation from perspectives that honor the emotional and relational experience of moving through and connecting with our environment. They also assert that creative and artistic maps can rebuild connections between people and land while also being practical guides for getting from A to B.

“Experiencing the dearth of information and context on the map at the start of Sleeping Bear Point Trail inspired me to create a map that spoke its localness by including the plants, animals, languages, colors, and textures that make Sleeping Bear Point such a special place.”

Joanne made a gift of her map to the Glen Arbor Arts Center and provided copies of it to share with the community. Inquire for a copy at the front desk.