Models, maps, globes, and other stylized representations of the earth or portions of the earth’s surface are part of the phenomenon of terrestrial miniaturization. Such representations often say much about how we see, or want to see, the world.
Some fascinating examples of this phenomena include the utilitarian models created for hydrologic studies by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the world’s premier functional terrestrial model makers. Three of the largest hydrologic models in the world are located in the United States, miniature landscapes of parts of the nation.

CLUI exhibits:

Model of Decay: The Chesapeake Bay Model
An exhibition of images and artifacts from this massive miniature working model of the Chesapeake Bay. Now abandoned and decaying, this was once the largest indoor hydraulics model in the world.

Mississippi Model
An exhibition of images and artifacts from this 200 acre outdoor installation - the largest hydraulics model in the world, now abandoned and overgrown in a remote city park.

Model Limits: The San Francisco Bay Model
A photo documentary of the "San Francisco Bay-Delta Tidal Hydraulic Model", a two acre working model of the Bay Area.