Intersections
A Public Art Exhibition
Chi Essary
Chi Essary is an artist and independent arts curator dedicated to fostering dialogue between art, science, and modern spirituality. She studied printmaking and photography at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon, and began oil painting after moving to San Diego in 2001. Her current painting practice examines the tension between secular society and modern spiritual longing. Since 2017, she has curated numerous cross-disciplinary exhibitions, pairing authors and world-class scientists with artists to encourage cultural exchange.
A board member of Vanguard Culture for over 10 years, Essary has been an advocate for expanding the role of art in cultural discourse. She led the San Diego Art Prize for three years, streamlining its structure and bringing in jurors from major art hubs such as New York, and Mexico City.
Alongside her curatorial endeavors, Essary chronicles San Diego’s vibrant arts community through her blog Poetic License, where she provides a behind-the-scenes peek into artists' studios via thoughtful interviews and compelling studio portraits.
In her dual role as artist and curator, Essary explores the boundaries between the sacred and the profane, using creative practice as a means of deeper inquiry into modern meaning-making.
Satyan Devadoss
Satyan is currently the Fletcher Jones Professor of Applied Mathematics and Professor of Computer Science at the University of San Diego. Before coming to California, he was faculty at Williams for nearly 15 years, along with visiting positions at UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Ohio State, Université Nice, Harvey Mudd, MSRI, and Stanford.
A fellow of the American Mathematical Society and recipient of two national teaching awards, his research focuses on shape and structure, including origami geometry, computational cartography, foldable architecture, sonnet linguistics, and beer genetics. Underneath this framework lies a strong desire for physical creations, for they point to the larger belief that mathematics should be made incarnate and tangible, for the physical world matters.
Satyan has recently joined SUMM’s Advisory Board.
Works
Boundary Line #5 (detail from Retable des Dominicains by Martin Schongauer c. 1480)
Oil paint on sewn linen, saw dust, second-hand serving platter
19.75” x 9.75” x 5”