Join cartographer Chris Brackley for a behind-the-scenes look at the maps that shape The Canadian Canoe Museum and discover how modern cartography tells stories of water, place, and connection.
🗓️ Date: Thursday, September 10, 2026
🕘 Time: Doors open at 5:30 PM | Event begins at 6:30 PM
🎟 Price: $15
🪪 Members save 10%! (Use the discount code in your welcome email to receive your discount)
On The Map: How and Why Does a Cartographer Make Maps in 2026?
There has never been more spatial information available for map-making, nor more tools available to spin that information into compelling pieces of cartographic communication. And yet, the art of cartography rarely enters public discourse. It is often an afterthought in journalism, an occasional supplement to documentary storytelling, and frequently used as a simple locator for artifacts in museums.
At The Canadian Canoe Museum, maps are woven into the experience itself. A 20-foot etched-glass map crowns the entrance, a 20-foot waterways map of Canada welcomes visitors into the exhibit hall, and a globe shimmering with lakes and rivers animates the space beyond. These maps are not simply context for other stories — they are stories in and of themselves.
In his talk, Chris will deconstruct the maps throughout the Museum, including the 8 x 11 metre Biinaagami Giant Floor Map, which explores the importance of water in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence watershed through both Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives. Together, these maps, along with the thousands of others Chris has designed, tell and invite stories. And this is no accident.
Come experience these cartographic creations in person and hear Chris share his process and reveal how he decides what makes it “on the map”.
Learn more about the speaker, Chris Brackley.
This event is part of The Canadian Canoe Museum’s Speaker Series.