Squirrel Hill Design and Craft
Greetings and welcome to the Squirrel Hill Design and Craft maker page!
I’m Erin, and I’ve been working full-time as an artistic cartographer since 2017. I hope that my handcrafted wood maps can help to deepen your connection to a location. They are created to encourage a new perspective, instill a sense of place, and celebrate your neck of the woods.
Moving back to Pittsburgh during COVID in the summer of 2020, I began creating a new body of work focusing on my stomping grounds.I have maps of Pittsburgh in a variety of sizes, including a neighborhood puzzle map which is a perfect gift! I have maps of the regional parks: Frick, Schenley, Highland, Riverview, and Emerald View. As well as other greenspaces like Allegheny and Homewood Cemetery. I have loved learning more about the places that I feel at home in.
This past year I’ve began making accessories featuring unique local landmarks and events. There’s a collection of novelty road signs including rules for parking chairs, a series of neighborhood signs, and a group of quirky landmarks like the Titty Sphinx or Heinz Field Highway Sign.
I also love creating custom maps of anywhere, from Swedish lakes to a Texas farm, and hearing the stories of why those places are so integral to someone.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, I spent eight years away, during which time I studied woodworking and sustainable design at The Evergreen State College in Washington. After graduating, I lived in upstate New York for four years, where I started Squirrel Hill – naming the business after one of my most beloved places.
In the 50s, my grandma made paper maps by hand for Bell Telephone on a wooden drafting table. My dad has a collection of USGS 7.5″ topographic maps that were treated as precious objects. He has instilled in me a reverence and fascination with the natural world. Turns out, our ancestors were scouts with Daniel Boone; my dad leads hikes and makes exploratory maps, typically more detailed than anything off the rack.
Now, growing up in an age of Google Maps and GPS, I have found myself drawn to creating tactile maps. I combine GIS data and laser cutting technology to cut pieces of wood that I assemble and finish by hand on my grandma’s drafting table.
