Jerry Gretzinger (American, b. 1942). Jerry's Map, 2013–2017. Acrylic, marker, colored pencil, ink, collage, and inkjet print on paper, 40 x 80 inches. Grand Rapids Art Museum, Gift of the Artist, 2023.17 & 18. © Jerry Gretzinger
In the summer of 1963, Jerry Gretzinger began drawing a map of an imaginary city — and never stopped.
Six decades and more than 4,100 panels later, the work sprawls across individual 8 x 10-inch sheets which, installed together, would cover over 2,300 square feet. Drawing on cartography, urban planning, painting, and collage, the project has unfurled into a living, evolving, fantastical map.
Gretzinger continuously reworks his map, panel by panel, simulating the rhythms of urban growth and decay. Governing every decision is a handmade deck of cards, drawn at random, whose instructions determine what gets built, revised, or erased. Nothing stays fixed for long.