Exhibit in Library Marries Math, Art and Community

An exhibit on view until mid-August in the Greenlease Library on campus featuring works that start the same — but end in different places.

That’s according to Zdenka Guadarrama, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, who put together “Many Faces, One Light,” made up of a series of light sculptures made from convex polyhedra of golden rhombi by members of the community during a series of workshops. It’s the latest in a series of annual exhibits on campus of works made by community members expressing concepts in math through the lens of art.

It’s something of a specialty for Guadarrama, whose interest in both art and mathematics are foundational to Mathapalooza, the math education organization she founded in 2012. 

“Personally, as a mathematician/artist, the key idea behind this work is one of community,” she said. “I want participants to build connections across different groups of people, across disciplines, across art styles, etc., and experience how much each individual matters in our community and how differences are enriching. Then we all express this point visually in our community art.”

The project was inspired by Guadarrama’s personal history and the art she remembers from growing up in Mexico City.

“Whenever I visit, walking through the streets of Mexico, I am always fascinated by the different versions of lamps one encounters around the streets,” she writes. “Some of them are very simple — they are called ‘faroles.’ A table version of them is made out of tin and has many little holes of different shapes.”

Using the golden rhombi as a starting point, groups of artists built a lamp, one side at a time. Collaboration and community were central to the process, Guadarrama said. So was the spring Greenlease Gallery exhibition, “Inner Lines,” a collection of paintings by Kelly Meiners. A former professor and chair of Rockhurst University’s physical therapy department, in late 2021 Meiners contracted an initially mild case of Covid. The virus left her 100% bedridden, unable to tolerate any light or sound and in a state of confusion, having difficulty understanding and following conversation.

Eventually, she began to paint as her energy allowed — sometimes just one stroke at a time — telling through her visual art the story of grief and healing.

Participants in the community workshops for “Many Faces, One Light” not only explored the paintings in the exhibition, but some were able to interact with Meiners herself. 

The result is a collection of works that, because of that collaborative process, share similarities but reflect a range of artistic viewpoints and personal experiences. All made possible with mathematics. And with the potential for more exhibitions and workshops soon, Guadarrama said she hopes the project will continue to grow.

“At each iteration, the community grows, and our light reaches further,” she said.

“Many Works, One Light” is on display in the Greenlease Library at Rockhurst University through Aug 15.