Madolin Maxey grew up in Washington, DC, on the edge of the Smithsonian Institution. Ever since she has been entranced with travel to far-away lands, following the trails of elusive animals, meeting people of all nationalities, tasting exotic food.

URBAN CARTOGRAPHY: Garden Plots and Islands of the Dwelling examines Maxey’s travels around her own home and garden in Providence. She paints the landscape, maps the garden, draws unexplored islands existing on shelves of the home. In early April '04 Maxey created a grid over her garden and invited ten friends to explore their new lands. Each had a compass, came alone, and reported in writing what they discovered. Maxey has taken their findings and pieced together a huge map of her garden as seen through their eyes.

Paintings, drawings, maps to walk on, written observations and the maps they inspired, a globe, some garden architecture, all come together to give an impression of Madolin Maxey’s surrounds. Urban Cartography looks at the possibilities one can find when exploring to the edges of their world.