Math Cultural Center
of Chicago
MATH
IS NOT
WHAT YOU THINK...
©Photobank
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©Thomasz Trojanowski
How many times have you heard people saying that they don’t like MATH? Well, chances are high that what they really don’t like is DOING MATH. Because this is mostly the only experience they’ve had with Math. And maybe they could still like Math. We just need to show them what Math really is! As an analogy, many people don’t like painting or sculpting and still love Art! Because they’ve been exposed - especially in schools AND museums - to beauty, great stories, emotions and inspiration through Art. We’ve never reduced Art to just a tool or a technique, so why would we do that for Math? This is actually what we do. Sorry, we’ve totally messed up with Math. This is the biggest mistake in the history of Education and Culture in general.
SORRY, BUT WE LIED TO YOU.
ART IS
NOT JUST
A TOOL,
NEITHER
IS MATH
©vectorfusionart
The Project:
Show you ALL faces of Math!
©metamorworks
Our Motto:
"Connections"
Connect EVERY visitor - from any age and any background -
to Math, and through MATH (Math, Arts, Technology, History).
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Connect visitors to fascinating stories, discoveries, innovations, and applications to highlight the role of Math in our society.
From our Strategic Plan:
The Math Center will be
cultural
educational
scientific
BUT MOSTLY
fun
surprising
interactive
dynamic
inspiring
Doing, playing, trying, observing, thinking, guessing, asking, exploring, discovering, touching, feeling, listening...This is what you’ll do at the center. And maybe more.
OUR PROPOSITION FOR THE
MATH CULTURAL CENTER
TBD
Chicago, IL
Our Galleries
©Monkey Business
To enjoy our already incredible galleries, let us guide you through our very special programs that will give you the opportuntiy to create your own journey at the Center.
Our Tours
& Programs
EDUCATE - INSPIRE - SURPRISE - IMPACT
©Photographee.eu
BUT ALSO...
Math & Art
The strong connections between Math and Art will be present at each level of the Center. You’ll have the opportunity to witness the beauty of Math through Art exhibits, and also the role that Math can play in Art to create beautiful artifacts.
Math In Nature
Pythagoras thought that everything was based on Numbers, especially Nature. Galileo said that Math was the alphabet with which God had written the Universe. We’ll highlight that incredible connection between Math and Nature.
Math & Chicago
Chicago is a very Mathematical city. We’ll propose to see Chicago through Mathematical eyes, just to understand the city better and to appreciate it more. Let’s pay a tribute to Chicago through Math...and the opposite!
Math World
This Gallery will be an extension to the History of Math Gallery. We’ll talk about Pure Mathematics, expose their beauty and share all the news about the Math community. A Gallery for Math lovers!
Math for the Future/Research
The idea of this Gallery is to imagine the world in the future if we apply Math from the very last research. Let’s be creative and pay a tribute to our researchers!
Math from Chicago
This Gallery will be reserved to Chicagoans. We’ll work with schools, universities and any volunteers - from Chicago - to build temporary Galleries on a topic they’ll choose. Let’s pay a tribute to Chicagoans!
Math Museum
In the spirit of a speakeasy from Chicago, that Gallery will be hidden and will expose some Math treasures.
A Tour for each of you
Just a few examples from our catalog.
The Tourist Experience
If you just want to have fun at the Math Center, and don’t know yet what you want to experience, obviously you’ll be free to go wherever you want inside the Center. But we can also personalize your experience thanks to our mobile application and then submit to you the most personalized tour ever. The application will propose the right balance between Math, Art, Education, and other fields to fit your profile and/or expectations. Moreover, if you can’t come to Chicago, you’ll have the opportunity to visit the Center online through our website!
The Nomath tour
You hate Math and don’t know why you’re here? Well, that tour is for you! We promise you won’t do any Math. Instead, you’ll learn about Art, Culture, History, and Applications to the World. You’ll have fun too, and we hope to bring you back to a more friendly relation with Math!
The Mathworld tour
You want to have an overview of applications of Math to our World? The Mathworld tour is perfect for you! You’ll discover many facets of Math, many expressions in very different Fields and Industries, from Music to Architecture or from NASA to Cooking. This tour won’t talk about Pure Math but only about Applications to the World.
The Art Experience
Math & Art have a lot in common. Firstly, they have the same process of creation: observe, think, create. Then they have the same purpose: make visible the invisible. To deliver a message or just to be esthetically beautiful, Math & Art have obvious connections. This tour will be a life changing experience as your vision of the World will change.
The Nerd Experience
You’re a Math lover or someone who loves learning? That tour will make you happy. From the Pure Mathematics Department (Math World Gallery) to the expert level of each gallery, you’ll have many opportunities to feed your curiosity.
The Smoking-Brain tour
You love doing Math and Logic Games, you want to be intellectually challenged? We have a tour for you! Either in the Mathland Gallery or at many stations inside the Center you’ll find ways to challenge yourself, at each level (from beginner to expert).
The Math Pro tour
You’re targetting a job with Math but don’t know which one yet? We’ll open your eyes on many industries and jobs that will feed your curiosity, and we hope, will fulfill your expectations.
The MathEduc tour
You’re curious about new pedagogical methods to learn Math? You want to know how they learn Math in Singapore or Finland? You are a teacher looking for inspirations for your lesson? That tour is for you!
A Program for each profile
Just a few examples from our catalog.
After-School Program
We’ll offer many After-School programs accessible to kids from 6 to 18 years old.
Our 2-5 Initiation Program
It is very important to solicit kids at a very young age. It is also important to do it without any pressure. This program will be fun and will challenge young kids in a positive way, just to have a good start with Math and prevent any anxiety related to it.
Math Camps
Winter break, Spring break, Summer time, we’ll have many camps available, inside or outside the Center. Let’s bring joy to your kids during these vacations!
Parents Coaching
Many parents want to help their kids in math but don’t know how. Sometimes they feel that mathematics today are not the same as 10 or 20 years ago. They actually are. However, some methods may have changed. Let us guide you to share some math with your kids and become a great coach.
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Teachers Collaboration
If Math is not your major and you’re a teacher, you’ll definitely find inspiration and resources at the Center. If you’re a Math teacher, you’ll find materials to build deeper presentations. We’ll make our best to build a fruitful collaboration with you and contribute to enrich your lessons.
Build your Math journey
Thanks to our website you’ll be able to build and start your own experience before your visit. But you’ll also be able to pursue your Math journey after your visit, either through our website that will propose different options to go further, or by coming back to discover more and go further in notions you’ve just learned. Our goal at the Center is not to offer a unique experience, but instead a whole Math journey.
Community Service
Students will have the opportunity to make hours of Community Service, by guiding visitors, animating classes, making some peer tutoring or working in our After-School programs or Math camps. It will be an important part of our community: sharing and giving back.
Field Trips
We’ll have a catalog of very diverse Field Trips for all levels. The diversity of our Galleries will be an invaluable source for Field Trips.
Interactive classes
The Center will offer many interactive classes, from cryptography to magic, from algebra to algorithms, just to mention a few examples.
Birthday Parties
We’ll have private spaces for Birthday Parties, with Math Games for everyone.
Anxiety Fighter Program
A great deal of research is being done in Chicago and other cities to understand and fight anxiety related to Math. We’ll collaborate with these departments to bring back students to a more stimulating relation with Math.
Nights at the Museum/Private Events/Shows/ Conferences/Concerts
Let’s have fun at the Center!
Our Partners:
Jeanne Gang
Jeanne and the whole Studio follow a mission to connect people through architecture. Their architectural goals for MC3: "Unity in Diversity".
Our Team.
Our Founding Officers! More directors will complete the team soon...
Art Pythagoras Pixar studios Meteorology NASA AI Finance Music Newton Games M.C. Escher Daniel Tammet Environment Computer Science History Education Origami Fractals Sports Data Science Fashion Moneyball Nature Photography Algebra Alan Turing Animated Movies Tangram Newton J.S. Bach Philosophy Thales Probability Piano Georges Rousse Yaron Herman NBA Soccer Magic Cryptography Chicago Statistics Descartes Velocity Harmony Greece Fibonacci Architecture Numbers Algebra Al-Khwarizmi Logic Black & Scholes Mathematicians KenKen Cards Future Robots Benoit Mandelbrot Logicomix Parrot’s Theorem Bean of Chicago Hancock Tower Kangaroo Infinity Möbius Strip Mathematically yours Rubik’s Cube Paradox Limits Sequences Pi Tree Technology Physics Popularization Keith Devlin Interactive Branches Klein Bottle Health Prunus Serotina Euclid i Fun Complex numbers Electricity Maryam Mirzakhani Google Chemistry AR/VR Summer Camps Mathland Fields Medal Biology Economy Inspiring Library Culture Matt Damon Fermat’s room Andrew Wiles Gregori Perelman Fermilab Gold Section Gödel Data Driven Marketing Hypatia Sofia Kovalevskaia Gauss Euler Surprising Geometry...