At the conclusion of the semester-long residency in 2019, Anne completed her new artist’s book Sea Change inspired by research in the Keys and Everglades of Florida, and from her study of the print holdings of the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Florida in the Map & Imagery Library at the University of Florida.
The system of mapping used in this edition was inspired by research and study of the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Florida , most notably Miami, vol. 1, 1921 containing a record of 28 paper corrections dating from 1928–1950. Originally created to allow fire insurance companies to assess risk and liability to urbanized areas within the United States, these maps were published in volumes that were bound and corrected by “pasters” who were employed to cut and glue over outdated maps until a new volume was produced. These maps often contained dozens of layers of paper corrections that physically marked an evolving landscape with permanent adhesion.
Sea Change has adapted this system of mapping as a form of catastrophe modeling for projecting sea level rise on the Florida peninsula if action is not taken to combat climate change. The map images were drawn from worst case scenario predictions from the NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer (https://coast.noaa.gov/slr/). Many other sources provided key data and analysis that aided in writing the text for this project and they are cited in the colophon of the finished book.
© 2019. Anne Covell for the Library Press @ UF.
Anne Covell is a book artist and hand papermaker living in San Diego, CA. She received her MFA in Book Arts from the University of Iowa Center for the Book where she was the recipient of an Iowa Arts Fellowship. She has studied Asian and Western papermaking techniques with Timothy Barrett, and has taught for numerous professional organizations including the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory, Penland School of Crafts, and the University of Georgia study abroad program in Cortona, Italy, among others. Her work has been exhibited internationally and can be seen in over 40 special collections libraries and museums worldwide. Link to the artist’s website: Anne Covell
