For an undergraduate course in Islamic Art History taught at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Carol Bier has focused on the study of pattern as the intersection of art and mathematics. In order to help students better understand the nature of patterns in Islamic art, students are asked to create practicums comprised of three of the following exercises:

• an infinitely repeating pattern
• a self-contained pattern
• an interlaced pattern
• a border pattern
• an infinitely repeating pattern arbitrarily cut off by borders

Student practicums from spring 2005 are posted below. Please click on each image to see a larger picture of each practicum, accompanied by a description of materials and process, and "Artist's Narrative" with "Teacher's Comment."