Artist Bio

Diane Hoffoss creates large-scale, bold, geometric, interactive art installations of wood, steel, acrylic, electronics and programmed lighting to inspire joy, evoke curiosity about mathematics and geometric shapes. Her sculptures have been exhibited at Burning Man, La Jolla Cove, Everywhen, and The Soap Factory, and will soon be featured at the Without Walls Festival. These art pieces have garnered recognition in Forbes Magazine and on the cover of the Notices of the American Mathematical Society. Her fascination with leveraging computers for artistic representations of mathematics ignited during a research project at the Geometry Supercomputer Center.

Evolving through roles helping to optimize communication schedules for NASA’s Mars rovers and contributing to a new computer language at Belcore, she now channels this expertise into programming controllers for LED lighting animations. These animations both enrich the sculptures visually, by highlighting the shape and adding to its nighttime presence, and communicate and deepen their meaning, creating a seamless integration of technology and art.

Diane is profoundly committed to collaboration with other artists and the larger volunteer community. Drawn to the beauty and scope achievable through collective efforts, she co-founded the art collective ArtBuilds in 2019, with whom she now creates most of her sculptural pieces. Her dedication to fostering artistic collaboration extends to her roles as a Director, Electronics Lab Lead, and Education Lead at San Diego CoLab.

Lately, Diane splits her time between creating art pieces exploring the interplay of light and shadow called Penumbra, seeking permanent placement for Unfolding Humanity, and serving as Professor in the area of topology and geometry and Chair of the Mathematics Department at the University of San Diego.

Selected Art Grants, Honors, and Awards