Montgomery County Community College is hosting the “Mathemalchemy” exhibit now through Friday, Oct. 9, in the Montco Cultural Center Theater Gallery of the Science Center on the Blue Bell Campus. Photo by Kevin Allen
Experience a powerful collaboration of mathematics and the arts that’s been viewed by spectators around the world and is currently on display at Montgomery County Community College.
MCCC is hosting the “Mathemalchemy” exhibit now through Friday, Oct. 9, in the Montco Cultural Center Theater Gallery of the Science Center,1313 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422. An opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The installation and opening reception are free and open to all, and parking is free.
Two exhibit creators from the project will also lead all-ages craft activities including
crochet and origami during the Whitpain Community Festival Saturday, Sept. 26, from
noon to 4 p.m. They will discuss how these activities intersect with all levels of
mathematics.
“Mathemalchemy is an alchemy of art and math,” said Christopher Scott Vaughen, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Math Department Co-Coordinator, who is organizing the exhibit with Donna Reed, Director of Computer and Information Sciences Programs. “It's a playful and creative expression of the joy of mathematics. The exhibit fills a small room with countless invitations to curiosity and discovery: a quilt that reveals patterns in cryptography, a knitted tortoise that illustrates an ancient math puzzle and solution, crochet that demonstrate the curvature of space, and a bakery and curio shop that highlight fundamental properties in patterns and geometry.”
“Don't just walk by,” said Reed. “The exhibit is mesmerizing, as it draws you into the elements of mathematics all around us. And no calculators are needed. Enjoy it as I did and observe how many times you say to yourself ‘Wow, I didn't know that!’ It puts the idea of mathematics on a totally different plane.”
This mixed media installation is roughly 20-feet long by 10-feet high and incorporates elements including fiber arts, illustration, sculpture, glass and wood components. The project is the brainchild of mathematician and physicist Dr. Ingrid Daubechies and fiber artist Dominique Ehrmann, who are among 24 ‘Mathemalchemists’ who worked on the project. It is overseen by the Mathematics Department through Duke University.
For the last four years, Mathemalchemy has traveled to locations across North America, beginning its tour in Washington, D.C., before visiting Mexico and Canada. In 2027, it will travel to Paris and Germany. Mathemalchemy is sponsored by The Simons Foundation and the Rhodes Information Initiative at Duke University. Local sponsors also include EntreEd and St. Joseph’s University.
For more information about Mathemalchemy, visit mathemalchemy.org/