Teacher Talks
The Math of Art & Design
Penn Museum
Wednesday, Feb. 19 2025, 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm ET
The theme of the 2024-2025 Teacher Talk Series is “Curricular Connections.” We’ll explore how your class subjects interact with the Museum, our Collections, and the professionals that work here.
Mathematics and art exist, in part, to show us aspects of the universe that are invisible. Though we may not recognize it as such, we can see mathematical thinking in the forms and decorations of ancient and ethnographic artifacts. These objects required highly complex mathematical reasoning to make; to calculate the amount of raw material required, build it into a three-dimensional object, and decorate it with evenly spaced and harmonious designs.
In this Teacher Talk, Dr. Anne Tiballi will use objects from the Penn Museum collection to ground mathematical principles like symmetry, geometry, and arithmetic in artistic forms like tilework, mandalas, basketry, and textiles.
Dinner will be provided, Act 48 Credits and parking vouchers available.
About the Speaker
Anne Tiballi, Ph.D.
Anne Tiballi, Ph.D., is the Director of Academic Engagement. She specializes in the archaeology of the late pre-Hispanic Andes, with a focus on human interactions with technology, craft production and identity, and textile analysis.
Upcoming Talks
