Art in Mathematics

How can you get students to fully understand other students' art pieces representing specific math concepts?

There are many ways in which you could use art in math instruction. The article Islamic Art as an Educational Tool about the Teaching of Islam by Fayeq S Oweis, talks about the importance of geometrical patterns in Islamic art. It talks about geometry in Islamic art as a "unifying concept of composition despite the diversity of materials, forms, or styles used". I think this is really important because in art we can use different materials, forms and styles, which can make it confusing to use art in math, but if we concentrate on the patterns present, they will all be the same no matter what material you use or what style you have, the geometric shape will be the same. Art can be used in math instruction to discuss different geometric shapes. Each student could create a geometric shape out of whatever materials they like, and then discuss the properties of their shape, and compare their shape to other students' geometric shapes. Art can be used in math instruction when talking about symmetry. Students can create art work with different shapes, and then compare and contrast them and have a discussion about which pieces are symmetric and which are a-symmetric. Art could also be used when talking about repetition and patterns. Oweis talks about how Islamic art uses a lot of repetition, and how "a repeat unit or cell is the base for geometric patterns". Students could use art to understand the concept of patterns, by creating their own patterns students would be able to see how patterns work in mathematics. This shows that art can be used in math in multiple ways, not just to teach about geometric shapes. It also gives students hands-on experience with shapes and patterns as well as giving them a chance to practice what they like (painting, drawing, etc).