Natural Ann Arbor: A Map by Marcy Marchello

Ann Arbor 200 is proud to debut a newly-created piece that is both a map and a work of art: the Natural Ann Arbor Map by Marcy Marchello. The Natural Ann Arbor Map focuses on the nature of Ann Arbor, featuring both contemporary and historical elements. It is an expression of place, rather than a navigational tool, highlighting the Huron River, parks, trails, wildlife and more. Hand-drawn illustrations and text form a mosaic of information that opens the viewer to new understanding.

The Natural Ann Arbor Map is available for sale as an art print and provides alternative frames of reference compared to conventional road maps. Marcy’s map is oriented to the watershed and historical paths of travel through the area. You won’t find most of the built elements in town you are used to seeing and yet you are likely to see something new with multiple viewings!

The Natural Ann Arbor Map evolved over 8 years, through Marcy's explorations while in town visiting family, online research, and 500 hours in the studio. Everything on the map was drawn multiple times to position elements for lively interaction and meaning. 

Marcy is thrilled to offer the Natural Ann Arbor Map to the community during Ann Arbor’s bicentennial year. The art print is available in both black and white ($40) and in color ($75), in a 24” x 36” size, printed with soy-based inks on 30% post-consumer waste recycled paper. The color edition can be purchased downtown at Found Gallery. Both maps can be purchased online at Ferncliff Studio on Etsy.  You can learn more about Marcy and how she developed the map on the Ferncliff Studio site.

About the Artist:

Marcy is an Ann Arbor native who grew up in Dixboro and lives in Massachusetts, where she is an adaptive outdoor recreation manager for Massachusetts State Parks. While her livelihood is in service to quality of life for others, she has been an artist and naturalist since childhood.  Born of two very creative parents - both graduates of the U of M School of Art - Marcy’s graphic arts have taken various forms, including cards and stationery, nature journaling, and custom maps of natural places. 

Marcy recalls, “As a child, while riding in the backseat of the family car, I noticed how the cloverleaf at Plymouth Road and I-23 had brought about a change in the landscape compared to what it must have been previously. I always wanted to go back in time to experience the landscape as it was before Europeans came. This map both celebrates present nature and offers a sense of peeling back time to reveal some of the underpinnings of the area.”

She attended Huron H.S. (‘76-‘79) and the U of M School of Art briefly, worked at Ulrich’s Books as an art department manager, then left Ann Arbor to pursue her “collage” degree. Marcy traveled on the National Audubon Expedition Institute for 2 years, followed by a year at Prescott College in Arizona, earning a B.S. in Environmental Education from Lesley College (now University) in Cambridge, MA. 

With much gratitude, Marcy thanks the following people for their time and support in evaluating the project in process:

• Becky Hand, Natural Area Preservation
• Bev Willis and John Kilar, Washtenaw County Historical Society
• Dave Szczygiel, Ann Arbor Public Schools
• Andrew MacLaren, Ann Arbor District Library
• Paul Steen, Huron River Watershed Council
• Anita Daly, Huron River Watershed Council