2015 Art Exhibition
There are three opportunities to exhibit mathematical art in the Baltimore/Washington-DC area in the summer of 2015. Submissions to all of them will be made at the same time using the Bridges submission website. Please read the following carefully.
Bridges Conference Art Exhibition
At the conference, there will be an exhibition of 2D and 3D mathematical art, ranging from computer graphics to quilts to geometrical sculptures. This art exhibition will be co-curated by Robert Fathauer and Katie McCallum, and all submitted artwork will undergo a refereeing process. There is a limit of three submissions per artist. Images of accepted artworks will also be published in the conference CD and art catalog.
There will be four awards for artworks shown at Bridges 2015, as voted at the meeting by the attendees: Best of Show, Most Effective Use of Mathematics, Craftsmanship, and Innovation. All of the award winners will receive a complimentary copy of the art catalog, and the Best of Show winner will also receive a registration waiver for Bridges 2016.
The primary intent of the art exhibition is to foster interaction between exhibiting artists and conference participants. Thus we expect artists to attend the conference if at all possible and require them to register once they obtain the notification that their work has been accepted. Work of non-registered participants will not be exhibited and will not appear in the conference CD and art catalog.
Please note that all the artworks should be hand delivered to the exhibition room at a time to be determined, unless they are also in the Towson University Exhibition (see below), usually the day before the conference starts. Artists are also responsible for picking up their works at the end of the conference, unless they are in the Centennial MathFest Exhibition (see below). The artworks will not be insured while on display, so the artist assumes all risk for damage or theft.
The exhibition space will only accommodate a limited number of works, which may necessitate rejecting some high quality pieces. Review criteria include:
- Math content (This is a mathematically sophisticated audience.)
- Esthetic appeal (This is admittedly highly subjective.)
- Medium (A variety of media will make for a more dynamic exhibition.)
- Craftsmanship (The level of skill and effort that goes into making an effective presentation of the idea.)
Flat works will be limited in size to 24" x 36" (including frame), and 3-D works will be limited to 24" x 24" x 24" for all three exhibitions.
Please note that the works should be presented in a manner that would be appropriate for a mainstream art gallery, to the extent possible given the realities of travel and shipping. This is to be contrasted to a poster session or technical illustration look, which most mathematicians are more accustomed to. For examples of the sort of works that are appropriate, see the recent art exhibitions from the Bridges Conference and Joint Mathematics Meetings, by clicking on Galleries in the menu at the left.
Images of any submitted artwork and accompanying descriptions should be submitted between February 15 and March 15, 2015. Submissions will only be accepted through the submission website. Notification of acceptance will be made via e-mail by April 15, 2015.
When submitting your work you will be required to indicate in which exhibitions you would like to participate. Please note that all works must be submitted for the Bridges Conference Art Exhibition. This is a requirement for participation in the Towson University and/or MathFest exhibitions.
Bridges 2015 Special Towson University Art Gallery Exhibition
In addition to the traditional Bridges Conference Art Exhibition at the University of Baltimore, there will be a professional Art Gallery Exhibition installed in the College of Fine Arts Gallery, Towson University, Maryland, curated by the Director of the University Galleries, Professor Christopher Bartlett and Robert Fathauer. It will be juried by a Bridges panel and will be selected from artworks submitted to the Bridges as described above. This Art Exhibition will open June 26 to the general public and remain on view through July 25. There will be University web sites, published announcements, media releases and e-blasts to advertise the exhibition. A professional gallery art exhibition has different audiences and because of the length of time on view local media and art critics may well cover it.
Professor Bartlett has agreed to exhibit the 2015 accepted Bridges artworks in this gallery under the following conditions:
- The 2-D artworks should be matted and framed properly (prepared for a professional art gallery exhibition) and ready for wall hanging (with wire, e.g.). For works on paper with shipped delivery, framing under acrylic (not glass) is recommended.
- The artwork should be shipped to Professor Bartlett in such a way that he can receive them by June 15 to be able to properly locate each artwork in a special place in the College of Fine Arts Gallery. For the overseas artwork, to be on the safe side, depending on the location of the sender, the artwork should be shipped 'door to door' at least by May 15 to guaranty that they reach Towson University by June 15. This will help the sender to resolve any possible issue such as customs requirements and delivery period. Normally, an artwork insured expensively under the category of "artwork" will stay in the customs and the sender is responsible to pay the customs to release it. However, it seems that packages shipped under "educational work" with inexpensive insurance will be released from the customs faster. Nevertheless, all the related customs issues should be resolved by the sender directly as there is not any conference organizing member to assist in this regard. The gallery will pack and ship back work that is not in the Bridges Conference exhibition, but only if the artist prepays the shipping cost.
- Please include information to be shown on labels next to the exhibited artworks.
- Artworks will not be insured while at Towson University.
On closing the works will be transported by the Bridges Organization to the University of Baltimore for display during the Bridges conference.
Centennial MathFest Exhibition
2015 marks the centennial of the Mathematics Association of America. As a result, the MathFest conference will be larger than usual and will include an art exhibition that will be some subset of the Bridges Conference exhibition. MathFest will be held August 5-8 in Washington, DC. For more information, please visit http://www.maa.org/meetings/mathfest. Please note the following conditions:
- Artworks to be exhibited at MathFest will be moved from the University of Baltimore to the MathFest conference site by volunteers.
- Artists are not required to transport their artworks to MathFest or to set up their artworks at MathFest. If they would like to attend the conference, a limited number of reduced-rate registrations are available for artists (a little under $100). Artists who attend MathFest will be expected to help with the hanging and tear down of the exhibition.
- At the close of MathFest, artworks will be packed up and shipped back within the US if the artist desires, at no cost to the artist, but only if an easily-packed box is provided along with an address. Otherwise, the artist or a designated representative will need to pick up the work in person at the close of the exhibition.
- Artworks will not be insured while being transported to MathFest or while on display there.
Past Art Exhibitions
Here is a short movie from Bridges Towson 2012:
Click on the image below to see a video about the 2013 Art Exhibition:
