Juggling and group sculpture are part of first Mathematics and the Arts Festival.
By Julie Poppen
Juggling. Origami. Group sculpture projects. See? Math is fun!
This is the underlying message behind the first Mathematics and the Arts Festival being held Friday and Saturday, April 1-2, at the University of Colorado Boulder.
The free event, sponsored by the CU-Boulder Department of Mathematics and co-organized by Rob Tubbs, professor of mathematics, and Beth Stade of the STEM Learning Center, welcomes members of the community of all ages, along with K-12 teachers from the Boulder Valley School District who can receive professional development activity credit for attending.
In partnership with Bridges MoSAIC, the festival is a collaborative effort sponsored and funded by the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) and administered by Bridges, the world’s largest interdisciplinary conference in mathematics and the arts. The festival will feature talks, workshops, hands-on activities with music, Zometools, juggling lessons from famous Pearl Street Mall performers and more.
There will also be a session on mathematics in the art of M.C. Escher, mathematical mural painting at Libby Hall, as part of the Libby Arts Residential Academic Program, and an exhibit of mathematically inspired fine art.
“People often believe that mathematics is computation, all about getting right or wrong answers. This event is about celebrating the creativity, fun and beauty of mathematics,” Stade said. “At its heart, mathematics is the exploration of pattern, and wherever there is pattern there is math, so you can find lots of math in the arts.”
The event runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the Mathematics Building. Visit this Bridges website for a complete schedule.
Julie Poppen is a senior news editor for the CU Office of News Services.
March 30, 2016