With the spring 2026 semester underway at Cal State Fullerton, the newly formed Mathematical Art Circle invites students, faculty and staff to experience mathematics as a creative practice grounded in art-making and shared exploration.
CSUF student Jordan Incledon will lead “Paper in Motion,” a workshop focused on exploring mathematical ideas through folding, moving and cutting paper. The workshop will take place Feb. 12 from 3-4 p.m. in McCarthy Hall, Room 476.
Rather than following prescribed steps or working toward a predetermined outcome, participants will explore the motions of scissors and paper, invent cutting processes, and discover how mathematical structures emerge through constraint and choice.
“Paper in Motion” builds upon the “Mathematical Crochet” workshop series that Incledon previously facilitated, which centered on a similar open-ended challenge: “How can a person turn a ball of yarn into an organized structure, using only their fingers?”
Together, these workshops introduce the Mathematical Art Circle, a creative community rooted in art-making, curiosity and shared exploration. Through hands-on workshops, lecture-style seminars, and open studio gatherings, the circle invites participants to engage with art as a place where structure, pattern, science, and imagination meet. Some events focus on creative problem-solving and invention, while others explore how mathematics and science appear in art and nature. Across all these formats, the emphasis is on curiosity, shared conversation and the joy of thinking together, not on prior math experience or feelings about past math classes.
“Mathematicians do research through creative problem-solving, perseverance and ingenuity. These workshops provide a platform for developing these skills,” said Incledon. “The goal is not to get the ‘right solution’ to the problem posed in the workshop. There isn’t one. Instead, success is measured by how much time was spent thinking about the problem.”
The workshop is open to all CSUF students, faculty and staff. All materials will be provided. Fill out the online form to register for the event.
The Mathematical Art Circle also welcomes community members interested in designing and facilitating their own mathematical art workshops. Opportunities include hands-on explorations carefully crafted to help participants develop important mathematical practices such as perseverance and creative problem-solving, as well as theory-focused seminars examining topics like fractals in nature, symmetry and pattern in art, the geometry of origami, or the mathematics of sourdough baking.
For questions about the “Paper in Motion” workshop or to express interest in facilitating a Mathematical Art Circle workshop, contact Bridget Druken at bdruken@fullerton.edu.