Curatorial Lab: The 1748 Nolli Map of Rome

Gianbattista Nolli’s Nuova Pianta di Roma, known today as the Pianta Grande, constitutes a landmark in urban mapping. It was the first city plan to result from surveying (as opposed to sketching). It featured the city in plan and showed the interiors of public buildings such a churches, theatres, and ancient buildings. In this curatorial laboratory course we will study Nolli’s map in the context of eighteenth-century Rome and explore map-making broadly. Together, we will curate a museum exhibition that will feature the map which will be on display at the museum in Fall ‘27. Students will generate wall texts and object labels and prepare an accompanying exhibition website This course contains a community-connected component.