Presented by Michael BaronSuggested admission: $5

For a very long time a weaver of patterns has been busy creating beautiful tapestries out of planetary orbits and molecular interstices. This evening we will peer through a geometers looking-glass into these micro/macro worlds, whose harmonies are guided by Fibonacci of Pisa, and spun into delicate DNA fibers that make up the warp and weft of our proportional being. Megalithic stone workers carve polyhedra for Plato, who inscribes them in the Timaeus, to be assembled by our children someday.  Archimedes kicks his faceted soccer ball toward history’s net and right into the hands of a physicist goalie who shouts ‘Buckminsterfullerene’! Kepler is tangling tetrahedra together, Escher is deconstructing the dodecahedron, and Omar Yaghi creates metal-organic polyhedral frameworks to store hydrogen gas that may someday power our cars.

This muse of geometry can be heard in the tiny concert of atoms, the vasty whorls of galaxies and in the core of an applestar.

Tonight we will observe the maker of patterns, busy on the geometer’s loom, weaving timeless ornamental threads, while Pythagoras arranges his mnemonic triangle, for a moment, in our morning sky…

Thursday, August 8 at 7 pm

Reel New Mexico Independent Film Series presents 3 fabulous short films

“El Salon Mexico” is a charming animated adventure set to the music of Aaron Copland. A boy, his burro and his rooster sneak away from home one night to see their first fiesta, never imagining the adventures they will have. The film, funded with a $20,000 New Mexico New Visions grant, was made by Paul Glickman, an Oscar-winning animator, and Tamarind King, a talented young graphic artist and animator who began work on it when she was still in high school. It made the first round in the “animated short” category for an Oscar in 2011 and has won numerous festival awards, including “Best Animation” in the Rome (Georgia) International Film Festival and “Best Animation Short for kids 8-12” in the Kids First Film Festival. Santa Fe filmmaker Michael Zeilik, executive producer of “El Salon Mexico,” will discuss the film.

“The Birds of the Bolsa Chica” was made by Santa Fe filmmaker Hal Ralston, initially so his wife, a teacher, might have something to show her students before a field trip to the Bolsa Chica wetlands. The State of California purchased 880 acres of the wetlands in 1997 for an ecological preserve and restoration was completed in 2004. Ralston made the film to celebrate the birds, who he says are the true owners of the Bolsa Chica. The music soundtrack was added to focus the children’s attention on the actions of the birds. Hal Ralston will discuss his film.

“Community Garden: New Mexico/South Africa” was made by Santa Fe filmmaker Debra Denker to explore what the El Dorado School Community Garden in the community of Eldorado just south of Santa Fe and another community garden in the poor, rural community of Acornhook in South Africa have in common. A lot, she discovered. Both are part of a worldwide community garden movement which, in addition to encouraging production of fresh, nutritious food, benefits their local communities and underscores the importance of water to sustainable food cultivation.  Debra Denker will discuss her film with the Reel New Mexico audience.

Sunday, August 12 at 3 pm