Did you catch us in the Globe?

Earlier this month, the Leventhal Center’s newest exhibition Terrains of Independence was featured in Boston Globe columnist Mark Feeney’s article “1775 and all that,” which spotlighted institutions in and around Boston marking the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution with interpretive exhibitions. His review praised the maps in the show as ones “that repay study” and described the exhibition text as “both informative and insightful.” We were honored to share space with exhibitions created by colleagues at the Concord Museum, Massachusetts Historical Society, and Commonwealth Museum. If you’re in or around Boston, we encourage you to check out Terrains of Independence together with the other three shows!

Read the article → 

Small Grants for Digital Publications: Applications Due May 19

Calling all early-career researchers, graduate students, and scholars! The deadline for our Small Grants Fund for Early Career Digital Publications is May 19 for grant awards in the 2025–2026 academic year. The Small Grants program supports early career scholars through the process of producing a publication for general audiences in a digital format. The program is designed to catalyze creative projects which utilize a digital medium to present scholarly work through engaging, accessible, and experimental communicative modalities. Read about a past cohort of Small Grant awardees here.

Apply by May 19 → 

In-Person: A Legacy of Leadership and Resilience: AANHPI History Month · May 2, 2 pm ET

As Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month begins, this From The Vault will examine the ways maps can support and inform Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history across the globe and examine what it means for a map to be truly representative of any particular place and its people.

This free showing will be hosted Friday, May 2 in the Leventhal Map & Education Center with a staff member available to answer questions. Drop in any time between 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm. No reservation is required!

Event details → 

In Person · May 29, 12 pm ET · Author Talk: Dan O'Brien on The Pointillistic City

Sit down with Dan O’Brien and Nigel Jacob for a conversation on O’Brien’s newly-released book, The Pointillistic City. This talk is free, open to the public, and will be held in person at the Central Library in Copley Square. Lunch will be served and registration is required to attend.

Dr. Dan O’Brien is Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University and Director of the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI). His research focuses on equity in urban neighborhoods, including crime, environmental justice, and more. His three books, including The Pointillistic City, demonstrate the value of integrating data-driven science with community-oriented policy and practice.

Register for the event → 

Leventhal City Prize · Letters of Interest Due May 23

The Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism at MIT is excited to announce that submissions are now open for the third round of the Leventhal City Prize. This award seeks to fund innovative urban design and planning approaches that will improve the environment and quality of life in cities. A prize of $100,000 will be awarded to an interdisciplinary team of MIT faculty and either a government agency, non-profit partner, or civic leadership organization. For this funding cycle, LCAU seeks proposals focused on their current research theme, Energy Intersections, which looks at the urban implications of energy transition.

Learn about the City Prize → 

From the Vault: March + April Roundup

This past March and April, we hosted four From the Vault events.

Mapped By Her: The Uncharted Influence of Women in Cartography highlighted the women have worked as colorists, engravers, shop owners, publishers, and, most importantly, as map-makers themselves. As Little Land As Possible: Maps of the Oceans & Seas answered the question “How exactly do you map an area with no land?” Revolution at Scale: New Netherlands, the Hudson, and Albany used the same scales seen in our exhibition, Terrains of Independence, to examine another colonial city—Albany—revealing what we can learn as we zoom in from empire to town.

Our most recent FTV, American Revolution in Boston, was a collaboration with the BPL Special Collections. Featuring numerous artifacts from several events over Boston’s involvement in the Revolutionary War, this event brought in more than 300 people to the Center!

Check out the maps from each of the events in the roundup articles linked below.

Read the highlights → 

Newsletter Trivia: Boston Reservoir

Before the creation of the Wachusett and Quabbin Reservoirs, which now supply drinking water to much of eastern Massachusetts, Boston had a reservoir that operated from 1849 to 1876 and supplied 2.6 million gallons of water to residents, before it was later replaced by the expansion of an important government building. In which historic neighborhood was this reservoir located?

• The West End
• Dorchester Heights
• Beacon Hill
• Back Bay

The answer to last newsletter’s question about what was the name of the town Paul Revere rode through before it became “Arlington” in 1867 was Menotomy.

Correct answers will be included in a random draw—the winner will receive the next three Map of the Month club postcards for free. Congratulations to our last winner, Gretchen! In order to enter, make sure you follow us on Bluesky, Instagram or Facebook and direct message or email us the answer to the following question. We’ll accept answers until May 5 at 9 am ET.

Message us on Instagram → 

A Special Treat to Our Gift Store

Our new postcards have been getting a lot of love in the gallery and we want to show our appreciation! For this month’s exclusive newsletter discount, each order will come with a 5-pack of our Terrains of Independence postcards, totally for free. No discount code needed.

Shop the gift store →