Mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot (1924–2010) believed in the importance of drawing as a necessary tool for translating computer images into easily understandable concepts. This process also applies to the work of contemporary artists for whom drawing is a manual form of thinking. In this conversation with Brett Littman, James Siena and Joan Waltemath—who are inspired by sacred architecture, mathematical algorithms, and illuminated manuscripts—will discuss the role of drawing as a path for generating and clarifying ideas.

Brett Littman is the executive director of the Drawing Center.

James Siena is an artist whose works are in many collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. He represented by the Pace Gallery in New York.

Joan Waltemath is a painter and the director of the Hoffberger School of Painting at Maryland Institute College of Art.