Careers in Math & Art
Explore careers that combine art and mathematics at Homeschool Day, March 5! Make some amazing math-based art to display at home, and see how art can be a hands-on tool for exploring mathematical concepts, including 3D shapes, fractal patterns and the formula for Pi.
Guest Speaker: Samantha Melvin,
Samantha Melvin is an artist, researcher and educator. She is the National Art Consultant for Davis Publications, an independent art education consultant and a teacher-mentor in Texas, encouraging research-based, tactile and interdisciplinary investigations of arts education. She was the 2012 NAEA National Elementary Art Educator of the Year, and was just recently named TAEA’s Texas Art Educator of the Year.
Samantha received her Master of Arts in Art Education at the University of Florida, and is now a candidate for a Master in Fine Arts in Painting at the Savannah College of Art and Design. She has exhibited her art work in Texas and nationally.
Presentation Times: 11:00am, 12:00, 1:00pm
Hands-on Activities
Stations run continuously from 10am-2pm
Cutting Pi: Use scissors to solve a math problem! Make a hypothesis: how many diameters can you cut from a circle’s circumference? See how it changes with different sized circles...or does it?
Fractal Suncatchers: Create a suncatcher inspired by never-ending mathematical patterns. Choose your fractal pattern, add colors, then see it shine. Fractals repeat themselves, but they’re anything but boring!
Hidden Equation Art: Hide a mathematical message in a work of art. Use die-cut numbers to create a colorful collage. The secret: all the numbers you use must add, subtract, multiply or divide to equal 20.
Learning Labs
Kinder-2nd Grade - Candy-Colored Art, 10:30 am, lasts 45 minutes
Skittles...taste the rainbow. Instead, we’ll “test” the rainbow with math and art activities! Use your math skills to count and categorize Skittles. Design a unique pattern and see how the candy coating reacts with water to create a work of art.
3rd-5th Grade - Geometric Bubbles, 11:30 am, lasts 60 minutes
Is it possible to blow a cube-shaped bubble? Explore geometric shapes and see how “nets” of 2D shapes assemble to form 3D ones. Make your own 3D geometric bubble blower and put it to the test!
6th-12th Grade - Finding Fractals, 1 pm, lasts 60 minutes
What do a nautilus shell and Romanesco broccoli have in common? They’re examples of fractal patterns in nature. Uncover the mathematics of fractals and hunt for these repeating forms to inspire your own fractal art.