METES & BOUNDS:

MAPPING the OJAI VALLEY

METES & BOUNDS is a mapmaking technique in which ordinary features of the landscape are used as references for measurements and boundaries. “Metes” is French for distance. “Bounds” refers to directions.

All but a few of maps in this exhibition are from the Museum’s permanent collection. They span more than a century, each offering a unique perspective on how the Ojai Valley has been viewed, understood, and imagined. From maps charting the borders of Spanish colonial ranchos to modern depictions of watersheds, these artifacts trace the layers of history that have shaped the Valley into what it is today.

The maps tell all kinds of stories - of land and water, of open space and development, and of the enduring connection between people and place.

Metes & Bounds is a collaborative project by Christopher Noxon, Dan Schultz, Richard Morgan, Kim Brown, Roger Conrad, Wendy Barker and Jennie Prebor.

Special thanks to Joel Fox, Vickie Peters, Dennis Shives, Cassandra C Jones, Myrna Cambianica, David Sinclair, Kristin Laursen, David Otis Johnson and the Museum’s Exhibition Committee.

We invite you to get lost in the world of maps.