Sabine D Region of the Moon, Lunar Orbiter Site II P-6 Southwest Mare Tranquilitatis 1972

Nancy Graves made this map of the moon with mixed media on paper, and it feels like an invitation to rethink what a map can be. Her mark-making is methodical and obsessive, built from small, soft dots. It reminds me that art-making itself is a process of mapping, a way of charting the unknown. I like how the surface shimmers with blues, pinks, and greens, each tiny stroke placed with care. There's a real physicality to it, even though it depicts something so distant. Look closely at one of the larger pink areas. It's not a solid block, but a field of individual moments. It’s kind of funny to think of the moon in these colors, like a dream. This piece makes me think of Agnes Martin, who also used repetition and subtle color to create meditative, expansive spaces. Graves takes this a step further, using the grid of a map as a starting point for something deeply personal and poetic. Art isn't about fixed meanings; it’s about embracing ambiguity and opening up new ways of seeing.