Last week, the MathHappens Foundation team traveled to New York City for MATRIX x Imaginary 2026 joining mathematicians, educators, museum professionals, designers, and makers from around the world to celebrate the creativity, collaboration, and wonder of mathematics.
From inspiring keynote talks to hands on workshops and interactive activity tables, the conference was a great reminder that mathematics is not just something we learn, it’s something we experience, create, and share.
The conference speakers challenged us to think about mathematics in new ways, exploring how mathematical thinking connects to art, design, culture, technology, and everyday life. Rather than presenting math as a collection of rules and procedures, the talks celebrated curiosity, creativity, and exploration.
One takeaway was seeing how many different communities are working towards the same goal: helping people experience mathematics recreationally as something joyful, accessible, and deeply human. It was energizing to hear so many perspectives while recognizing common threads with our own work.
Activity Tables
One of the highlights of the conference was hosting our own activity tables, where visitors of all ages stopped by to explore two different MathHappens experiences. This portion of the conference was open to the public, so we were able to interact with museum visitors at the National Museum of Mathematics as well as conference attendees.
Our Bubble World activity invited participants to experiment with Bubble Tiles and accessory pieces, creating colorful arrangements while naturally exploring patterns, arcs, rotation, and geometric relationships. There was no single correct solution, just opportunities to play, test ideas, revise designs, and delight in unexpected discoveries.
Alongside Bubble World, visitors created wearable Koch Fractal designs to take home. As participants assembled and personalized their creations, they experienced how overlapping fractal shapes can generate surprisingly intricate forms. Watching people proudly wear their mathematical creations throughout the conference sparked conversations and demonstrated how mathematics can become both personal and expressive.
Throughout the activity sessions, our table became a place for experimentation, conversation, and connection. We loved seeing people linger, ask questions, share ideas, and inspire one another. This exemplifies the kind of joyful mathematical engagement we strive to create in every MathHappens Math Room and other community outreach events.
Keynote Speakers and Lightning Talks
The conference speakers challenged us to think about mathematics in new ways, exploring how mathematical thinking connects to art, design, culture, technology, and everyday life. Rather than presenting math as a collection of rules and procedures, the talks celebrated curiosity, creativity, and exploration. Two of our team members, Lauren Siegel and Chris Nho, contributed lightning talks that focused on our work. Lauren spoke about our organization and the work we’ve accomplished while Chris focused on how we train our facilitators to curate a meaningful experience in our math spaces.
One takeaway from the conference was seeing how many different communities are working in different ways towards the same goal: helping people experience mathematics recreationally as something joyful, accessible, and deeply human. It was energizing to hear so many perspectives while recognizing common threads with our own work.