ART! RESCHEDULED: Jan. 18th – The Maps of George Matteson at Warwick Center for Fine Arts

George Matteson’s hand drawn, legendary maps of Rhode Island and historic artifacts from Cloud Hill Museum will be on display at the Warwick Center for Fine Arts until January 26th. The exhibit began January 13th with an opening presentation. Lecture & Presentation rescheduled to tonight Jan. 18th.

George E. Matteson is treasured for his wonderful maps, beautifully illustrated with local landmarks, legends, and folklore. His maps hang in pictorial map collections locally and abroad, bringing us all twinges of nostalgia. George Matteson was from Scituate, RI and was a forest ranger for over 40 years. He served as a search and rescue specialist taking part in more than 9000 rescues of lost hunters and hikers, 100 plane crash rescue missions and myriad forest fire patrols. He would fly over forest fires, drawing quick maps of the terrain, landmarks, trails and roads, which were dropped by parachute to ground crews to aid them in reaching the heart of a fire. His father drove a hitch of a dozen or more horses for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. 

In collaboration with George Matteson’s grandson, Paul St. Amand, conscientious custodian of his grandfather’s extraordinary collection, and Steve & Linda Koirnatz representing the Scituate Preservation Society, the Warwick Center for the Arts is proud to present a unique exhibit and ancillary programs to reveal more about this mapmaker who spent a lifetime surveying the backwoods, digging into local legends, and preserving our rich history. WCFA is thrilled to partner with Anne Holst and her team from Clouds Hill Victorian Museum, and the Scituate Preservation Society to present this extraordinary exhibit.

The exhibit can be viewed Wednesday through Saturday from 11am to 3pm.

More information: www.warwickcfa.org – 3259 Post Rd. Warwick, RI 02886 – 401-737-0010