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• Map Mixer with Library of Congress Geography and Map Division

  • When
    Thursday, September 18, 2025
  •  
    2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Library of Congress, Madison Building, Madison Hall, First Floor

  Arranged by the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division and Philip Lee Phillips Society with invitation to Washington Map Society members.

  Location: LOC Madison Building, Madison Hall, First Floor, adjacent to the main entrance. In person only.

  Time:  Thursday, September 18 from 2:00 pm ET - 4:00 pm ET

  Event: Map Mixer

  The Library of Congress Geography and Map Division and the Philip Lee Phillips Society (PLPS) will host a Map Mixer. Join fellow map lovers and Library supporters for an afternoon of exploration, conversation, and connection. Geography and Map Division staff will present a curated selection of their favorite maps from the Library's collections. Come mingle with fellow enthusiasts and enjoy light refreshments while learning about PLPS initiatives and celebrating cartography.

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• Henrik Dupont: "The Mapping of Greenland from 1700-2025”

  • When
    Tuesday, October 14, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Sponsored in partnership with California, Chicago, New York, Philip Lee Phillips, Rocky Mountain, and Texas Map Societies.

  Location: Zoom

  Time:  7:00 PM ET/ 6:00 PM CT/ 5:00 PM MT/ 4:00 PM PT

  Title: “Mapping Greenland, from the 18th to 20th Centuries”

  Speaker:  Henrik Dupont, Retired Map Curator, Royal Library, Copenhagen, Denmark

  Summary: The mapping of the world’s largest island is a fascinating story with many heroic adventures, tragic expeditions, and struggles between nations and single people. It involves the necessary help from indigenous people who lived and traveled in the harsh conditions of the high latitudes close to the North Pole. This story will tell about the colonization of the island from the first Danish missionary Hans Egede who settled in 1721, not knowing much about the geography and people of the area. Gradually the Danes colonized the west coast while other nations explored the east and north. Finally in 1907 the last coastline was visited, and Greenland became a Danish colony in 1917, with the agreement of the United States, authorized in 1933 by the International Court in den Haag. The mapping is a complex history which will be shown in this presentation.

  Planning to attend?   

  Click here to register for this Zoom event. After you have registered, you will receive an email with the Meeting ID and passcode for the event.

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• Nebenzahl Lecture Series: "Mapping from Mexico: New Narratives for the History of Cartography"

  • Start
    Thursday, October 16, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM
  • End
    Saturday, October 18, 2025
  •  
    4:00 PM
  • Location
    Newberry Library, Chicago, IL

  The Newberry Library presents the 22nd Nebenzahl Lecture Series on "Mapping from Mexico: New Narratives for the History of Cartography." This event is not sponsored by the Washington Map Society, however several WMS members will be speakers and attendees at the seminar.

  
  

  Schedule of Events:

  Thursday, October 16
  10am–12pm: Lectures
  1:30–5pm: Artist workshops and talks, exhibition tours, and collection presentations
  6–7:30pm: Keynote address
  
  Friday, October 17
  9:30am–12:30pm: Lectures 
  2–5pm: Artist workshops and talks, exhibition tours, and collection presentations 
  5–8pm: Map and book fair opening
  
  Saturday, October 18
  9am–5pm: Map and book fair continues
  10–11am: Lectures 
  11am–12:30pm: Roundtable with all the speakers 
  10am–4pm: Artist workshops and talks, exhibition tours, and collection presentations

  This program is free and open to all. Advance registration required. Registration will open at a later date. For more information, please click here.

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• MESDA Map Seminar: "Mapping American Expansion"

  • Start
    Thursday, October 30, 2025
  •  
    3:30 PM
  • End
    Saturday, November 01, 2025
  •  
    5:00 PM
  • Location
    Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Winston-Salem, NC

  The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) will be holding a 2-day seminar on "Mapping American Expansion." This event is not sponsored by the Washington Map Society, however several WMS members will be speakers at the seminar.

  

  Schedule of Events:

  Thursday, October 30, 2025
  3:30pm - Advance Registration Required: Moravian Archives Vault Tour
  
  Friday, October 31, 2025
  9:30am - Lectures
  12:20pm - Lunch
  1:20pm - Lectures
  2:30-5:00pm - Map Fair
  3:30pm - Advance Registration Required: Moravian Archives Vault Tour
  5:00pm - Reception & Keynote Lecture
  
  Saturday, November 1, 2025
  10:00am - Lectures
  12:10pm -Lunch
  1:15pm - Lectures
  4:00pm - MESDA Open House & Galleries Open

  The lectures will be accessible both in person and virtually. For more information and to register, please click here.

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• Ronald S. Gibbs: "The American Revolution Told in Ten Maps”

  • When
    Thursday, November 13, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Sponsored in partnership with California, Chicago, New York, Philip Lee Phillips, Rocky Mountain, and Texas Map Societies.

  Location: Zoom

  Time:  7:00 PM ET/ 6:00 PM CT/ 5:00 PM MT/ 4:00 PM PT

  Title: “The American Revolution Told in Ten Maps”

  Speaker: Ronald S Gibbs, MD, President California Map Society, Clinical Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine

  Summary: To celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, this presentation will explore the political and military aspects of the war, using ten period maps from the Gibbs’ family’s collection. At the outset, the Americans were given little chance to gain independence against the mighty British forces. Yet, underlying the British power, there were telling weaknesses. Ron will report the key actions of the eight-years-long war  and then analyze why the British lost and the Americans won.

  Planning to attend?   

  Click here to register for this Zoom event. After you have registered, you will receive an email with the Meeting ID and passcode for the event.

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• Tom Harper: "Overview of the British Library's New Map Exhibition, 'Secret Maps'”

  • When
    Thursday, December 11, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Sponsored in partnership with California, Chicago, New York, Philip Lee Phillips, Rocky Mountain, and Texas Map Societies.

  Location: Zoom

  Time:  7:00 PM ET/ 6:00 PM CT/ 5:00 PM MT/ 4:00 PM PT

  Title: “Overview of the British Library's New Map Exhibition, 'Secret Maps'”

  Speaker: Tom Harper, Lead Curator of Antiquarian Mapping, British Library

  Summary: In this presentation Tom will showcase the British Library’s forthcoming exhibition Secret Maps (24 October 2025 - 18 January 2026). Secret Maps will explore the relationship between maps and secrecy in a global context between the 14th and 21st centuries. Using relevant examples for a North American audience, Tom will introduce some of the exhibition’s key themes. These include the ways in which maps have been utilized by governments, armies, businesses, communities and individuals to withhold spatial knowledge. and the question of whether, in an age where spatial data is routinely shared and democratized, it is easier or more difficult to keep a secret today.

  Planning to attend?   

  Click here to register for this Zoom event. After you have registered, you will receive an email with the Meeting ID and passcode for the event.

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• Mark Giordano: "Teaching Geopolitics with Maps”

  • When
    Thursday, January 22, 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Sponsored in partnership with California, Chicago, New York, Philip Lee Phillips, Rocky Mountain, and Texas Map Societies.

  Location: Zoom

  Time:  7:00 PM ET/ 6:00 PM CT/ 5:00 PM MT/ 4:00 PM PT

  Title: “Teaching Geopolitics with Maps”

  Speaker: Mark Giordano, Vice Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and Professor of Geography, Georgetown University

  Summary: Georgetown University’s “Map of the Modern World” is likely the largest class in the world that still uses maps to teach geopolitics and world affairs. The current instructor will provide examples of how historic and contemporary maps and custom cartography are used to engage students in global issues and help them understand international challenges from multiple perspectives. Examples in the talk will include a Spanish colonial manuscript map of 18th century South America, maps of migratory bird flyways plotted on two different projections, and Google maps of Crimea generated in multiple countries.

  Planning to attend?   

  Click here to register for this Zoom event. After you have registered, you will receive an email with the Meeting ID and passcode for the event.

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