Featured Math & Art

For more information on this piece, see the Wikipedia entry on Naum Gabo's art.

"The decoration of dome interiors, in some cases similar to the decoration of pavement, windows, and walls, is closely related to geometric properties of shapes, in both two- and three-dimensional space, know to artists several centuries ago. Based on existing domes, we cannot trace this art back beyond ten centuries, for there were many natural and social disasters that destroyed them. However, we may be reasonably certain of a much earlier existance of such sophisticated designs of dome interiors based on references in earlier literature as well as the level of geometry available in those times."

~From the introduction of The Sky Within: Mathematical Aesthetics of Persian Dome Interiors

This sculpture was created by fused deposition modeling. The artist, Carlo Sequin is a professor of computer science at the University of California in Berkeley. "Séquin's work in computer graphics and in geometric design have also provided a bridge to the world of art. In collaboration with a few sculptors of abstract geometric art, in particular with Brent Collins, Séquin has found a new interest and yet another domain where the use of computer-aided tools can be explored and where new frontiers can be opened through the use of such tools." He gives workshops on Scherk-Collins sculptures.

"Rinus Roelofs was born in 1954. After studying Applied Mathemathics at the Technical University of Enschede, he took a degree from the Enschede Art Academy with a specialization in sculpture. His commissions come largely from municipalities, institutions and companies in the Netherlands, but his work has been exhibited further afield, including in Rome as part of the Escher Centennial celebrations in 1998." This piece is currently on display in the St. Joseph Galerie in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.

This year’s Joint Meetings exhibition is dedicated to Magnus Wenninger, a self-described priest, monk, mathematician, philosopher, and polyhedronist. Magnus was born in 1919 and earned a bachelors degree in Philosophy in 1942 from Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He entered Saint John’s Abbey and professed monastic vows in 1940, attended Saint John’s Seminary, and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1945. He earned a masters degree in Philosophy in 1946 from the University of Ottawa, Canada. He taught mathematics and served as Math Department Head at St. Augustine’s College in Nassau, The Bahamas, and he earned a masters degree in Mathematics Education in 1961 at Columbia University Teachers College. Magnus began publishing articles about polyhedra in the early 1960’s, and his first book, Polyhedron Models for the Classroom, was published in 1966. Subsequent books include Polyhedron Models (1971), Spherical Models (1979), and Dual Models (1983). His books, articles, and models have been a source of inspiration to at least one generation of polyhedra lovers and model builders. Magnus is presently retired and resides at Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. His models depicting 3-dimensional projections of 4-dimensional polytopes are featured in this year’s exhibition.