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The Globemakers: The Curious Story of an Ancient Craft

with Author and Craftsperson Peter Bellerby on Zoom

Join Peter Bellerby, founder of Bellerby & Co. Globemakers, in this visual, virtual tour through the history of Globemaking,

Who ISN'T fascinated by the ancient craft of Globemaking? Peter Bellerby will share the history of Globemaking, how it almost became a lost art, and how he is bringing it back, one beautiful hand painted globe at a time.

His book, a full-color photographic portrait of a fantastic art, "The Globemakers" is an enlightening exploration of globes, or “earth apples,” as they were first known, and their ability to show us ourselves and our place in an infinite universe. Many of us encounter a globe as children. We find a grown-up and ask, “Where are we?” They spin the globe and point to a minuscule dot amidst a massive expanse of sea and land. Thousands of questions follow. A profound convergence of art and science, a globe is the ultimate visualization of our place in our galaxy and universe. To be a globemaker requires a knowledge of geography, skilled engineering, drawing, and painting, and only a few people in history have ever really mastered the craft.

When Peter Bellerby set out to make a globe for his father's eightieth birthday, after failing to find a suitable one to purchase, he had no idea where the process would lead. He went on to establish Bellerby & Co, one of the only artisan globemakers in the world. The Globemakers brings us inside Bellerby's gorgeous studio to learn how he and his team of cartographers and artists bring these stunning celestial, terrestrial, and planetary objects to life. Along the way he tells stories of his adventure and the luck that shaped the company.

This program is in partnership with Ashland Public Library. 

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