MAA Found Math for the Week of February 18, 2013
MAA FOUND MATH: "Tessellation Evolution," by Susan Goldstine (St. Mary's College of Maryland) received Honorable Mention at the 2013 Mathematical Art Exhibition Awards at the Joint Mathematics Meetings.
According to the official awards announcement:
"This beaded necklace is 18 inches x 15 inches, made of glass beads, gold-plated glass beads, onyx beads, gold-plated clasp, and thread (2012). Goldstine notes that this work 'is an outgrowth of an extended research project with computer scientist and artist Ellie Baker on applications of mathematics to bead crochet. In our work, we meet the challenge of designing symmetric patterns on a cylindrical spiral of beads by making periodic designs in the plane with special constraints that allow them to wrap seamlessly around the cylinder.' This work includes 4517 beads. Goldstine notes, 'The most exciting part of mathematics is communicating it to others. I am especially interested in models that make mathematical concepts tactile or visual. This passion has led me to many artistic projects in the course of my work as a math professor and to some unexpected and delightful collaborations.'"
The Mathematical Art Exhibition Award "for aesthetically pleasing works that combine mathematics and art" was established in 2008 through an endowment provided to the American Mathematical Society by an anonymous donor who wishes to acknowledge those whose works demonstrate the beauty and elegance of mathematics expressed in a visual art form. The awards are US$400 for Best photograph, painting, or print; $400 for Best textile, sculpture, or other medium; and $200 for Honorable Mention. The Mathematical Art Exhibition of juried works in various media is held at the annual Joint Mathematics Meetings of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) and Mathematical Association of America (MAA). Works in the 2013 exhibition will be in an album on Mathematical Imagery. (Click on thumbnails to see larger images.)
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