John Sims is an interdisciplinary conceptual artist, who creates multimedia projects spanning the areas of mathematics, art, text, performance and political-media activism. His projects are informed by the vocabulary of mathematical structure, as well as the politics of sacred symbols and poetry. His work ranges from hanging the Confederate flag in Gettysburg (2004) to making a system of math-art quilts with Amish quilters (2008) to planning for turning NYC into clock.

As the former coordinator of mathematics at Ringling College Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, he designed a visual mathematics curriculum for artists and visual thinkers. His series of 13 math-art quilts called SquareRoots: A Quilted Manifesto, done in collaboration with the Sarasota Amish community, is due to travel internationally. Sims has curated more than fifteen mathematical art exhibitions including an exhibition/film project titled Rhythm of Structure: Bowery and Beyond which featured over 75 artists and poets.

This program is made possible by the Hixson-Lied Endowment and John Sims’ visit to UNL is sponsored by the International Quilt Study Center & Museum and by the support of the Robert S. & Mildred M. Baynard Charitable Trust, the Mary Ann Beavers Fund for Public Programming & Outreach, Institute for Ethnic Studies, the Mark & Diann Sorenson Fund for Public Programming & Outreach and Yia Yia’s Pizza and Beer.