National Museum of Mathematics’ Math Midway Traveling Exhibition to Make Washington, DC Debut at First Ever National Math Festival, Friday, April 17 – Sunday, April 19

News provided by

Phil and Company

Mar 24, 2015, 11:00 ET


New York, NY (PRWEB) March 24, 2015 -- This April, the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath), North America’s only museum devoted to mathematics, is bringing the marvelous world of mathematics to Washington, DC. On Saturday, April 18, Math Midway, MoMath’s traveling exhibition of interactive, carnival-like mathematical attractions, will make its DC debut at the National Math Festival, the country’s first national festival dedicated to discovering the delight and power of mathematics. During the math-filled weekend, MoMath will also offer two unique programs to explore the intersection of math and art: private tours through the National Gallery of Art’s M.C. Escher Collection on Friday, April 17, and a private tour through Man Ray’s Human Equations: A Journey from Mathematics to Shakespeare at the Phillips Collection on Sunday, April 19.

Back from a five-year national tour that attracted over 1 million visitors, Math Midway will make its Washington, DC debut at the Smithsonian’s Enid A. Haupt Garden with more than 20 hands-on, engaging math exhibits that helped launch MoMath in New York City. Visitors can ride the Square-Wheeled Tricycle, enjoy laser-based geometry exploration with the Ring of Fire, and play with algebraic gold doubloons along with Pirate X and Lady Y. They will also be able to participate in Spacellation, a giant geometric coat-hanger construction making its national debut, or tie themselves up in String Upon a Star.

“We are thrilled to be part of the inaugural National Math Festival and bring Math Midway to Washington, offering residents and visitors the rare opportunity to experience MoMath’s engaging and interactive exhibits outside of New York,” said Cindy Lawrence, executive director and co-founder of MoMath. “Math Midway generates excitement among a diverse group of visitors, from young children who enjoy the tactile aspects of the exhibits’ bright colors to older children and adults who discover a newfound appreciation of the creative nature of mathematics. We hope all visitors leave inspired by the wonder and beauty of math.”

Organized by the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) and the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution, the National Math Festival is a free and public celebration, which will feature activities for every age—from hands-on magic and Houdini-like getaways to lectures with some of the most influential mathematicians of our time. No registration is required to visit Math Midway at the National Math Festival, but math-savvy volunteers, including students and adults, can join the MoMath team to help convey the joy of math. For more information, visit dcvolunteers.momath.org.

Aside from the National Math Festival, MoMath has planned two engaging programs that will explore the intersection between math and art.

Art and Math in the Works of M.C. Escher: A Tour through the National Gallery of Art’s M.C. Escher Collection
On Friday, April 17, math and art enthusiasts can explore the masterpieces of M.C. Escher on an exclusive private tour of one of the world's largest and most complete collections of his works. Housed in a restricted area of the National Gallery of Art, this collection includes woodblock, wood engraving and lithography, in both monochrome and color. Guests will have the extraordinary opportunity to view and closely study the original works of M.C. Escher, focusing on his analytic elements of design, his intuitive geometric sense and his brilliant printmaking techniques.

The tours will be led by David Masunaga, who for more than 35 years, has been balancing the full-time demands of the middle and high school mathematics classroom with research and leadership in mathematics and education, including a focus on the relationship between these areas and the visual and performing arts. His connection with Escher stems from studies with his graduate mentor Dr. Arthur Loeb, the first person to bring M.C. Escher to the United States, and his friendship with George Escher, M.C. Escher’s eldest son. In addition, for many years he has worked closely with the NGA curators, who will provide access to several of the rarest, one-of-a-kind pieces in this vast collection. Tours will be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. For more information and to register, visit escher.momath.org.

Human Equations: A Journey from Mathematics to Shakespeare
On Sunday, April 19, math meets art in this first time, three-part display of Man Ray's surrealistic-inflected Shakespearean Equations series, side by side with the original geometric models that inspired the paintings, plus the inventive photographs of these mathematical forms made by Man Ray in Paris in the 1930s. MoMath has arranged a private tour of the exhibition, where guests can learn firsthand how art and math intersect in this 100-piece display, including a custom version of MoMath's own Formula Morph exhibit, designed especially for this unique show. Before the tour, guests are invited for a brunch with Glen Whitney, president and co-founder of MoMath, to hear the mathematical backstory of the Phillips Collection's latest exhibit. For more information and to register, visit manray.momath.org.

“In New York, through interactive exhibits and innovative programming, MoMath offers visitors the opportunity to discover the many surprising aspects of mathematics that rarely make it into the classroom setting,” Whitney said. “We are looking forward to bringing our exhibits and programs to Washington and showing people how fun, engaging, exciting and cool mathematics can be.”

For a more information on MoMath’s math extravaganza in Washington, visit http://momath.org/home/washington/.

About the National Museum of Mathematics
The National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) strives to enhance public understanding and perception of mathematics in daily life. The only math museum in North America, MoMath fulfills an incredible demand for hands-on math programming, creating a space where those who are math-challenged-as well as math enthusiasts of all backgrounds and levels of understanding- can revel in their own personal realm of the infinite world of mathematics through more than 30 state-of-the-art interactive exhibits. MoMath has also been awarded the bronze 2013 MUSE Award for Education and Outreach by the American Alliance of Museums. MoMath is located at 11 E. 26th on the north side of popular Madison Square Park in Manhattan. The Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, visit momath.org.

Brittnie Mabry, Phil and Company, http://philandcompany.com, +1 (646) 490-6446, [email protected]