Bookshelf

Artists who work with everyday objects do so for a reason, whether to relay the beauty of items commonly regarded as unremarkable or to communicate to a broader audience. Among today’s creative minds, the United States map has earned status as a favorite canvas, and has had its commonplace form reinvented in a variety of mediums ranging from recycled scrap metal to digital media. Below, find examples of map artworks that have attempted to tap into the national psyche—all in the name of uncovering a unified state of expression.

Part of a series of experimental works titled “Oh, the farmer and the cowman should be friends,” this architecturally adept outline of the United States—measuring 5.5 m wide, 3.5 m high and 40 cm deep—was crafted from Cor-Ten steel and mirror-polished stainless steel to form a working bookshelf. Made by Israeli artist, architect and designer Ron Arad, the piece is currently on display at the Timothy Taylor gallery in London. Photo courtesy of Ron Arad Associates.

Lower 48: Scrap Metal

“Lower 48” is found-objects artist Ian Bird’s largest map structure, measuring 7 feet 6 inches across from Maine to California. Completed in 2008, the map was created from a combination of auto-body and found metals salvaged from recycling yards, highways, roads and other public arenas. The piece, made in Bird’s garage, took three weeks to cut and build, and now hangs in George Mason University’s Center for History and New Media. Photo courtesy of Ian Bird via Flickr.

U.S. Map of License Plates

Aaron Foster—artist and cohost of the HGTV show FreeStyle, which showcases no-budget room makeovers—dubs this map artwork made of license plates his signature piece. The structural backing of the piece was constructed from wood salvaged from weathered barns throughout the midwest. Since his first structure, which he admits to crafting in an attempt to impress a girl, he’s made over 1,000 similar models (all requiring a week’s work) using unusual and widely varying vintage American automobile license plates. Photo courtesy of Aaron Foster

Fingerprint

The image above is part of a larger image called “ World Fingerprint”—which shows each of the world’s countries, including the United States, with surfaces that appear to be carved from a fingerprint. It was created by photographer Adrian Sawvel, who used Vector graphics—a printing technology that uses geometrical elements like points, lines, curves, figures and polygons as well as mathematical equations—to represent an image. Vector-based images can be scaled to any size without degrading the quality of the image, which is what allowed Sawvel to isolate North America and still present it as a clear, focused image. Photo courtesy of BigStockPhoto.com.

Jasper Johns’ Fingerpaint USA

American artist Jasper Johns—whose work is described as neo-Dada (an approach to visual arts characterized by its use of modern materials and pop imagery)—is the mastermind behind this abstract portrait of the USA. Johns, who was best known for work incorporating recognizable objects, such as maps, numbers and flags, created the piece in 1961. The painting can currently be found at the Museum of Modern Art. Photo courtesy of Mike Downey via Flickr.

American Flag License Plate Map

This second Aaron Foster creation belongs to the artist’s American Collection—which he describes as incorporating “Maps, Flags and Americana”—and represents America in both map and flag form. The artist layered a series of California and vintage Missouri bicentennial license plates to recreate the flag’s 13 alternating red and white stripes; the blue-hued backs of Indiana truck plates were pieced together for the flag’s canton, before being punched with star shapes. Foster’s art has been featured in several reputable publications, and can be purchased through his website, aaronfoster.com, as well as at multiple retail outlets including Uncommon Goods, Sundance Catalogue and more. Photo courtesy of Aaron Foster

Highway, Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, 1995

Korean artist Nam June Paik gifted this 15 x 40 x 4-foot “Electronic Superhighway” to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC. It is made up of 336 televisions and nearly 600 feet of neon light strips, with each screen displaying state-specific movies—shown from the perspective of a “passing car”—from behind the individual state silhouettes. The glowing illustration is the artist’s ode to the enormous scale of the country, the neon representing the glowing roadside motels and restaurant signs, and the multitude of colors symbolizing each state’s individuality.

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