 The shape of the United States map is an iconic image that has been used in a variety of forms throughout its history. A new exhibit that the USM Osher Map Library examines the use of the shape in political campaigns, clothing, and household goods. Brian Knoblock talked with John Fondersmith, the curator, whose collection is the focus of the exhibit about the wide range of objects that have been used to symbolize the country. John, we're here at the Osher Map Library and we're in part of your collection about the US symbol and shape of America. Tell us about how you got started. Well, I got started about 30 years ago where I saw an advertisement magazine that used the map shape of the United States. I thought, gee, that's interesting. I've always been interested in maps. I tore it out and put it in a box and it kind of mushroomed after that. What drew you to the shape? Well, I mean, we all know the shape of the United States. It's ingrained in our mind, but I think it resonates with people differently. So I've been interested in maps, but of course these things are not maps. They're using the map shape as a symbol. And as I became more aware of how often that was done and how we, as Americans and others, just got accustomed to this as a symbol, I think that kind of turned me on. You coined a frame, you shape it to describe it. Talk about that a little bit. Well, about 10 years after I started and I was getting more serious about this and I'd read some things that maybe put it in a more framework. But there didn't seem to be a term that described this. So I was fooling around and it's fairly simple. It's a U.S. and shape and kind of played around with that together. And I said, you shape it. And that was your Eureka moment for me, I think. It had a name to this thing. John, you're standing in front of a collage of some of the items from your collection. Talk about that a little bit, please. Well, this is one of the most exciting things really that came out of this exhibit because it's original artwork commissioned by the Osher Map Library and done by Jonathan Bloomberg. And what he did, he took images from my collection and there are over 100 different ones here from all different kind of sources and arranged them here in the shape of the map of the United States. It causes the United States of your shape here. And it's really intriguing both from a distance but especially when you get up and look at each one. And because you see kind of condensed in one place the great variety of ways in which the map shape of the United States is used in different ways. The shape of the United States is not something that you would design as an icon or as a logo. What do you think it has become such a symbolic item? Well, it's because, you know, and you're right, it's partly of course billions of years of geologic forces and then where the northern and southern boundaries are located and kind of a very recognizable shape. And I think that's why. And then the sea to shining sea kind of thing is very important. That's somewhat unique for countries of course. You have a lot of examples of things here that use the shape, political examples of course, but there are some other things to hear that use the shape as well. Talk about what some of those are. Well, there's for example the culinary articles of baking pans, cookie cutters in the shape of the United States, book covers. I'm especially interested in those and advertisements, their jewelry. There's just a wide and their artworks, the deliberate artworks that are done in the shape of the United States. So there's a wide range of things that do use the shape. And how do you think that that wide usage reflects the American experience? I think because people kind of, they know it, they learn about the map, they know that, you know, it's a big country, it's a sea to shining sea so to speak. And so it just, it resonates with people and yet it's a very recognizable shape because of Texas and Florida down here and Maine sticking up and so on, so on the northeast. So there's no mistaking it when you see it, although once in a while it gets, in these informal things gets kind of distorted but it's been mistaking it. The exhibit runs through the end of February and it's really great that you've decided to share something with the people of Portland. Well, and I want to say the staff here at the OSHA map library has just done a great job. It's been great to work with them. And I'm anxious to hear the feedback from the people of Portland and elsewhere that come here and see how this resonates with people and what their reaction is.