MEDIA ADVISORY: for Mon., Feb. 15 and Tues., Feb. 16

The Steward School to Host for “The Intersection of Nature, Technology, Arts, and Math: Contributing to the Coral Reef” Program is FREE to community; includes demonstrations, reception, and discussion

WHO:  Margaret Wertheim, noted TED speaker, professor, science writer, and director of the and the Crochet Coral Reef project  Dan Frank, Head of School  JK-12 students and teachers from The Steward School, including instructors from the Bryan Innovation Lab  Parents, children, and others from the Richmond community interested in science and fiber arts

WHAT: As part of the 2015-16 Bryan Innovation Lab Visiting Innovators Program, The Steward School is hosting Margaret Wertheim on Mon., Feb. 15 and Tues., Feb. 16. While on campus, Wertheim will engage audiences with building The Steward School Satellite Reef and increasing public awareness of distressed coral reefs, which are an essential part of our global ecosystem but are disappearing as environmental and human impacts threaten their survivability. Participants will learn through a citizen science project how the worlds of science, math, conservation, and arts are bringing awareness to our ocean ecosystem. Wertheim will host a series of workshops, and there will be a Fiber Arts & Science Fair; all events are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Wertheim has built an international following dedicated to advancing scientific concepts through hands-on, embodied practices such as crochet and paper folding. Her TED talk, “The Beautiful Math of Coral,” has 1.2 million views.

WHEN: Monday, Feb. 15 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Workshop: Margaret Wertheim introduces the Reef project, discusses and its manifestations in the marine world, and teaches the techniques of hyperbolic crochet.

Tuesday, Feb. 16 3:15 p.m. Fiber Arts & Science Fair: hands-on activities, demos, exhibit of crochet coral reef, and complimentary refreshments. Guest exhibitors will include Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, VCU Rice Center, James River Association, VCUarts department of fashion, and University of Richmond knitting club.

6:00 p.m. Lecture and Discussion (Children’s activities offered during this program.)

WHERE: Bryan Innovation Lab (on The Steward School campus) 11600 Gayton Road, Richmond, Virginia 23238 (804) 740-3394

RSVP: Registration is recommended for all events: https://www.stewardschool.org/coral

DETAILS: Margaret Wertheim is among three thought leaders featured in the 2015-16 Bryan Innovation Lab Visiting Innovators Program. While on campus, these innovators share their expertise in a variety of ways—they speak to students, work with classes on relevant issues, make presentations that are open to the Richmond community, and conduct workshops for educators and families. This furthers The Steward School’s commitment to fostering innovation in students and the greater Richmond community. The program is made possible through support from the Edward E. Ford Foundation, Robins Foundation, and Luck Companies Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.stewardschool.org/visiting-innovators-program.

About the Crochet Coral Reef project

Started in 2005 by sisters Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the Institute For Figuring, the Crochet Coral Reef project resides at the intersection of , marine biology, handicraft, and community art practice. Through a process of collective creativity, the project responds to the environmental crisis of global warming and the escalating problem of oceanic plastic trash by highlighting not only the damage humans do to the earth's ecology, but also our power for positive action. The Crochet Coral Reef collection has been exhibited in art and science museums worldwide, including (), the Hayward Gallery (), the Science Gallery (Dublin), and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (Washington, D.C.) The project’s Satellite Reef program has engaged thousands of people from all walks of life in more than a dozen countries. The Crochet Coral Reef is one of the largest participatory science + art projects in the world.

About the Institute For Figuring

The Institute For Figuring is a non-profit, Los-Angeles based organization dedicated to the poetic and aesthetic dimensions of science and mathematics. From the physics of snowflakes and the hyperbolic geometry of sea slugs to the mathematics of paper folding, the Institute takes as its purview a complex ecology of figuring. In its practice, the IFF pioneers creative new methods for engaging the public about scientific issues by putting people and communities at the core. Co- founded by science writer Margaret Wertheim and her sister Christine Wertheim, a member of the Critical Studies faculty at California Institute of the Arts, the IFF specializes in creating participatory projects in which communities build large-scale artworks inspired by discoveries and techniques stemming from scientific and mathematical research. The IFF has curated exhibitions and programming for many institutions worldwide including the Museum of Jurassic Technology (Los Angeles), Art Center College of Design (Pasadena), University of Southern California, Santa Monica Museum of Art, and the Hayward Gallery (London). ###