The Age of Discovery at Arader Galleries

Arader Galleries in San Francisco was thrilled to host Mrs. Deborah Krikorian’s 7th grade class from San Francisco's Waldorf School last Friday, January 16th. For the second consecutive year, Gallery Director Nicole Lopez presented an insightful lecture focused on the history of cartography and map making during the Age of Discovery (16th through 19th centuries) coinciding with the students’ in-class curriculum.

Students were shown maps and discussed the changing shape of the world as cartographers continued to explore and record their findings throughout the 16th to 19th centuries. Viewing these maps brought to life previous history lessons and stories of explorers traveling the unknown for the students.

Building Blocks for Education

Arader Galleries is proud to announce that its founder and namesake, W. Graham Arader has gifted Northeastern University a number of historically significant maps, engravings, woodcuts and botanical watercolors. The Arader Galleries Collection is on display at Snell Library, and the pieces have been incorporated into a new course, “Picturing the World,” introduced by Georges Van Den Abbeele, founding dean of the College of Social Studies and Humanities and is co-instructed by English professor Beryl Schlossman.

“The Arader Galleries Collection has enhanced our course in a tremendous way,” said Dean Van Den Abbeele. “By giving students access to these works, we have quite literally brought history into the classroom. The pieces we’ve acquired from the nation’s leading expert on historically significant maps underscore Mr. Arader’s support of cultural institutions and his commitment to making these bits of history available to a greater audience.

“Dean Van Den Abbeele and Professor Schlossman have created an innovative curriculum that delves deeply into the historic relationships between early exploration and trade, and the beauty and science of nature, technology and art,” Arader said. “Arader Galleries and I are thrilled to provide Northeastern University with these important works so students can see firsthand their beauty and understand their historic importance.”