Release Date:  4/4/2005

Contact(s):   Jerry Johnson, WWU mathematics department, (360) 650-3801 johnsonj@cc.wwu.edu

BELLINGHAM – A symposium in April at Western Washington University will highlight the interwoven symmetry and patterns linking math and art through public talks on topics such as “Math and the Mona Lisa,” the sculpture of Isamu Noguchi and “Opt Art.”

"This program brings together creative work from both mathematics and art, and illustrates some of the exciting ways in which the two areas can be interrelated," said Arlan Norman, dean of the College of Sciences and Technology at Western.

The talks, part of “A Celebration: Building Connections Between Art and Mathematics,” will be held Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23 in Arntzen Hall 100 on Western’s campus. The following talks are free and open to the public:

• “Math and the Mona Lisa: The Unity of Art, Science and Mathematics,” by Bulent Atalay, scientist, artist and professor of physics at the University of Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg, Va., will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 22. Atalay’s research areas include theoretical atomic and nuclear physics, application of high technology to archaeology and the integration of science and art. His book, “Math and the Mona Lisa” (Smithsonian Books, 2004) examines the science and mathematics that underlie Leonardo da Vinci’s work.
• “Geometric Sculpture,” by George Hart, a sculptor, mathematician, engineer, and research professor in the computer science department at Stony Brook University, in Stony Brook, N.Y., will be from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. April 23. As a sculptor of constructive geometric forms, Hart’s work deals with patterns and relationships derived from classical ideals of balance and symmetry.Hart will show slides of some of his sculpture, which is designed or built with the aid of computers.
• “Numbers in the Sky (viewing Sculpture),” by Branko Curgus, Western professor of mathematics, will be from noon to 1 p.m. April 23. Curgus will discuss Isamu Noguchi’s Skyviewing Sculpture, which is in Red Square on the Western campus. “The best way to understand the sculpture as a mathematical object is to build it yourself. A simple procedure of how to do that will be demonstrated during my talk. A specific part of the sculpture turns out to be mathematically most significant. This part, in fact, hides a number which is the mathematical spirit of the sculpture,” Curgus said.
• “Opt Art: Using Math Optimization Techniques to Create Pictures, Portraits & Sculpture,” by Robert Bosch, mathematics professor at Oberlin College, in Oberlin, Ohio, will be from 3 to 4 p.m. April 23. He will present several examples of “Opt Art,” which is art constructed with the use of mathematical optimization. One exciting example is the creation of a mathematically formulated "domino" portrait.

In addition, joining the national celebration of the centennial of Isamu Noguchi’s birth, the Western Gallery will present a two-part exhibition on the world-renowned artist from April 4 to June 10. Never-before seen photographs taken by Noguchi, as well as dance inspired by his on-campus sculpture, “Skyviewing,” comprise the exhibition. For more on that exhibition, please visit the Western Gallery’s Web site at http://westerngallery.wwu.edu/. On Saturday, April 23, the Western Gallery will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., two hours earlier than usual, to accommodate symposium attendees.

The symposium is sponsored by the Whatcom and Skagit Mathematics Partnership and the WWU colleges of Sciences and Technology and Fine and Performing Arts.The Whatcom and Skagit Mathematics Partnership is a three-year program funded by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the U.S. Department of Education to increase math achievement levels for all students as well as narrow differences between diverse student populations.

As part of the symposium at Western, a number of area mathematics teachers and art specialists will be attending related workshops on a variety of topics, including “Geometry and the Art of M.C. Escher” by Jill Britton, mathematics instructor at Camosun College in Victoria, British Columbia, and “The Mathematics and Art of Perspective: Displaying a 3-D World on a 2-D Canvas,” by Annalisa Crannell, associate professor, department of mathematics at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. For more information, please contact Jerry Johnson, WWU mathematics professor, at (360) 650-3801; johnsonj@cc.wwu.edu.

For a parking permit or information, please stop at the south campus Visitor Center, open from 7:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays. No permit is required in (south campus) gravel C lots between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. weekdays, or on weekends.

There is a $1 an hour charge for parking after 5 p.m. and on weekends in designated lots, which have blue machines that accept cash, coins, or credit/debit cards. There is no additional charge in these lots for those displaying a valid parking pass or a Viking XPress bus pass, with the exception of lot 6V (Viking Union) where payment is required at all times. Parking meters at various campus locations cost $2 an hour, 24 hours/7 days.

Photo Links

http://www.wwu.edu/ucomm/exchange/