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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 UNCOORDINATED: MAPPING CARTOGRAPHY IN CONTEMPORARY ART

May 17 – August 17, 2008 Opening Night May 23, 7-11 pm

CINCINNATI—The Contemporary Arts Center, celebrating five years in the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, presents the group exhibition Uncoordinated: Mapping Cartography in Contemporary Art. The exhibition, curated by CAC Curatorial Assistant Clare Norwood, includes artists Brian Alfred, Noriko Ambe, Radcliffe Bailey, Jimmy Baker, Jonathan Callan, Matt Coors, Russell Crotty, Leila Daw, Qin Ga, Torben Giehler, Zach Herrmann, Marco Maggi, Stefana McClure, Tim McMichael, Aleksandra Mir, Mollie Oblinger and elin o’Hara slavick.

“The exhibition Uncoordinated is a thoughtful show about how mapping as an activity and as a tool is used by artists from around the world to talk about a myriad of global issues,” says CAC Alice & Harris Weston Director and Chief Curator Raphaela Platow. “This show is highly political but in a personal way and features a wide range of intriguing works in all media.”

Artworks in Uncoordinated feature literal maps, abstractions and conceptual charts of extraordinary beauty and intricacy. All demonstrate and examine how human beings position themselves in the universe, within a culture or in time or how they map their own identity. Installations, paintings, photographs, videos and sculptures included in the show will be organized into five thematic groups: maps as political tools; maps as global tools; mapping as a conduit for self-exploration; maps and new technologies; and maps as cultural voice.

“Every map is a cultural construction that geographers, scientists and artists create to convey meaning,” says Norwood, the show’s curator. “In this context, maps provide a globally relevant and universally understood medium for communication, expression and recording of history, culture and topography”

For example, Leila Daw’s mixed-media artworks impose order on disintegration, suggesting the destructive effect of human endeavors on the planet through map-like compositions that resemble ruins or aerial views of disaster. Jonathan Callan uses eroded books and photographs to create textured sculptures resembling globes or topographical landscapes, demonstrating a relationship between information and the organic world. Radcliffe Bailey explores African-American historical themes in his collages that merge maps of slave trade routes with Marcus Garvey’s Black Star Line, a trade route meant to connect black-owned businesses in North America, Africa and the Caribbean.

World-renowned alternative cartographer and author of The Power of Maps, Denis Wood called our time the “age of maps” on the public radio show This American Life. On CNN, Wood said, “The things that are of immense concern to us as human beings are social realities, and (most) maps don't show those.” In his writing and in his art, Wood explores the constructed reality maps offer. “Maps give us reality that exceeds our vision, our reach, the span of our days, a reality we achieve no other way,” he writes in The Power of Maps. “We are always mapping the invisible or the unattainable or the erasable, the future or the past.” Wood brings his unique perspective and unparalleled knowledge of cartographic history and the significance of maps to the CAC in a lecture Monday, June 9 at 6:30 pm.

The Contemporary Arts Center, celebrating five years in the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, presents Uncoordinated as part of its 2008 Summer Exhibition Season. Also on view in Summer 2008 are American Idyll: Contemporary Art and Karaoke, FORM: Contemporary Architects at Play, An-My Lê: Small Wars and Odili Donald Odita: FLOW. The 2007-08 Season Sponsor is James A. and Mary Miller. The exhibition sponsor is Duke Energy. Supporting Sponsor is David C. Herriman.
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About the Exhibition
Uncoordinated: mapping cartography in contemporary art
May 17 – August 17, 2008
Curated by Clare Norwood
Artists: Brian Alfred, Noriko Ambe, Radcliffe Bailey, Jimmy Baker, Jonathan Callan, Matt Coors, Russell Crotty, Leila Daw, Qin Ga, Torben Giehler, Zach Herrmann, Marco Maggi, Stefana McClure, Tim McMichael, Aleksandra Mir, Mollie Oblinger and elin o’Hara slavick
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Images (High- resolution Images available. Please e-mail pr@cacmail.org)
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Events and Public Programming

Saturday, May 17 • 2 pm • Level 2
Gallery Talk: Clare Norwood, Uncoordinated: Mapping Cartography in Contemporary Art
Exhibition curator Clare Norwood leads a gallery tour and discussion.
Members: Free. Nonmembers: CAC admission.
Please RSVP with Andrea Blake 513 345 8434 ablake@cacmail.org.
PUBLIC PROGRAM

Friday, May 23 • 7-11
Opening Night: Summer Exhibitions
Opening Night for American Idyll: Contemporary Art and Cultural Karaoke, An-My Lê: Small Wars and Uncoordinated: Mapping Cartography in Contemporary Art
Free and open to the public.
OPENING

Saturday, May 24 • 2 pm • Performance Space
Panel Discussion, Uncoordinated: Mapping Cartography in Contemporary Art
Exhibition curator Clare Norwood and CAC Curator of Education Scott Boberg moderate a dialogue about mapmaking with artists Brian Alfred, Jimmy Baker, Zach Hermann, Tim McMichael and Mollie Oblinger.
Members: Free. Nonmembers: CAC admission.
Please RSVP with Andrea Blake 513 345 8434 ablake@cacmail.org.
PUBLIC PROGRAM

Monday, June 9 • 6:30 pm • Performance Space
Exhibition Lecture: Denis Wood, Origins of Map Art
Denis Wood, author of The Power of Maps, traces the trajectory of map art since the early 20th century.
CAC admission is free to members and nonmembers Mondays 5-9 pm
Please RSVP with Andrea Blake 513 345 8434 ablake@cacmail.org.
PUBLIC PROGRAM

Sunday, June 22 • 1-4 pm • UnMuseum®
Family Sunday
Artist: Melanie Derrick. Inspiration: Uncoordinated
Family Sunday is where CAC families use current and upcoming exhibitions to inspire learning and creativity through guided artmaking activities. This program is designed for children ages 5-105 and their caregivers. Family Sunday is sponsored in part by The Charles H. Dater Foundation.
Members: Free. Nonmembers: CAC admission.
Please RSVP with Andrea Blake 513 345 8434 ablake@cacmail.org.
KIDS & FAMILY

Monday, June 30 • 6:30 pm • Performance Space
2008 Milestones Lecture Number 2: Peter Obermark, An-My Lê and Contemporary Documentary Photography
Peter Obermark discusses An-My Lê and other contemporary documentary photographers.
CAC admission is free to members and nonmembers Mondays 5-9 pm
Please RSVP with Andrea Blake 513 345 8434 ablake@cacmail.org.
PUBLIC PROGRAM

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About the Contemporary Arts Center
Founded in November 1939 as the Modern Art Society by three visionary women in Cincinnati, Contemporary Arts Center was one of the first institutions in the U.S. dedicated to exhibiting the art of our time. In May 2003, the Center relocated to its first free-standing home, the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, designed by Zaha Hadid. Throughout its distinguished history, the Center has earned a reputation for stimulating thought and introducing new ideas by presenting the work of diverse artists from around the world, including hundreds of now-famous artists such as Laurie Anderson, Jasper Johns, Louise Nevelson, Nam June Paik, I.M. Pei, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Kara Walker and Andy Warhol. CAC focuses on new developments in painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, performance art and new media, presenting eight to 12 exhibitions and 20 to 40 performances annually.
Hours
Monday: 10 am-9 pm (5 pm-9 pm free admission)
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday – Friday: 10 am-6 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 11 am-6 pm
Admission
Adults $7.50; Seniors (65+) $6.50; Students w/ID $5.50; Children (3-13) $4.50
Members and Children under 3 free. Annual memberships start at $45.
The CAC Kaplan Hall Lobby is free and open to the public.
The CAC receives ongoing support from: Fine Arts Fund; Ohio Arts Council; City of Cincinnati; The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. U.S. Bank Foundation; The Kettering Fund; and the generous contributions and grants of individuals and corporations and foundations, CAC memberships, facility rentals, special events and sales from the CAC Store.

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