Square Root of Tree

John Sims is an interdisciplinary conceptual artist, creating multimedia projects spanning the areas of mathematics, art, text, performance and political-media activism. His main projects are informed by the vocabulary of mathematical structure, the politics of sacred symbols and poetry as ally to the visual arts. The works have ranged from hanging the Confederate flag in Gettysburg ( 2004), to making a system of mathart quilts with Amish quilters (2008) to the planning of 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 mathart quilts called, SquareRoots:A Quilted Manifesto done in collaboration with the Sarasota Amish community forge the onnections of mathematics, art and community and is due to travel internationally. Also Sims has curated more than 15 mathematical art exhibitions including the year long exhibition/film project called Rhythm of Structure: Bowery and Beyond which featured over 75 artists and poets at the Bowery Poetry Club in New YorK City- 2009.

He has lectured and exhibited nationally and internationally, including Hungary, Spain, Israel and Argentina. His work has been featured in Nature, Art in America, Nature, Sculpture, BOMB magazine, FiberArts, NYArts, Science News, CNN, New York Times and the Washington Post.