FREE event running May 22, 2020 through May 2021!

From 17th century attempts to woo European settlers to the New World with maps that exaggerated natural resources, to a 2019 Sharpie-enhanced weather map designed to reshape the politics of disaster planning, maps and visual data have always been tools for manipulating reality.  In a wide-ranging, year-long initiative comprising exhibitions, programs and educational activities, “BENDING LINES: Maps and Data from Distortion to Deception” at the Boston Public Library’s Leventhal Map & Education Center, offers a critical look at how to understand the world as it appears in geographic representations. The show features historical and contemporary documents and interactive displays designed to show visitors the power of persuasive mapmaking.  Opens May 22, 2020 at the Leventhal Map and Education Center at the Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street.  Free.  (617) 859-2387 Visit leventhalmap.org/bending-lines.