MiP’s Blog
Interview with Jackie Berg
The Math inquiries Project wants 8th grade algebra students to understand that what they’re learning has a lifetime of utility. From time to time, we’ll profile an accomplished, successful person to see how he or she deploys math on the job. This interview is with Jacqueline Berg, who has her own design business in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jacqueline has diverse talents – from designing and making award-winning quilts to creating original jewelry; she also designs interior spaces for both residential and commercial projects.
MiP: Let’s start with you and math today. How do you use math in your everyday life?
Berg: I use math to run my business. I develop cost structures that allow me to determine what to charge for my products and services. And I also need basic math for doing my own accounting. On the artistic side, I use geometry for coming up with designs. Everything I do has geometric formulas – quilts, jewelry and interior design.
MiP: So you must have excelled in math when you were a student.
Berg: Yes and no. I loved geometry, doing formulas and visualizing space. It just came naturally to me – I am a very visual person. On the other hand, I had a difficult time with algebra. I had a reading problem so it was very tough to do algebra for some reason. I did pass, though, thanks to sticking with it and tutoring from my brother.
MiP: How do geometry and algebra impact your being an artist?
Berg: Looking back and having analyzed what I do, I realize I was given the gift of art and being creative. While I never thought about it as math, I have always seen geometry in everything – in a manhole cover, in ads, in buildings. And I translate this into drawings.
MiP: How do you perceive yourself?
Berg: As a creative person that can work in many fields of creation. I am also a good sales person, which is important in selling myself to interior design clients as well as selling my art. Sometimes it’s hard for artists to represent themselves.
MiP: Let’s talk about your interior design business.
Berg: I look at the space and redesign or restructure it to meet the clients’ spatial needs or their need for interior furnishings. Conceptually, I draw boxes and come up with schematic designs. Then I give them to an architect to do the working drawings. I am better at conceptualizing.
MiP: You just bought an Eichler house. What appealed to you about this particular architecture?
Berg: What attracts me to Eichler homes is the geometry and artistic design. This house is all right angles, with a tremendous amount of geometry and open spaces.
MiP: What is an Eichler?
Berg: It is a poor man’s Frank Lloyd Wright. Eichler built them in the 1950’s and 1960’s with revolutionary ideas at that time – inner courtyards, orientation to the outdoors, and radiant heat in the concrete flooring, for example. When I renovated this house, I made sure I kept the original footprint and integrity of the house.
MiP: I notice that you have a lot of quilts hanging on your walls? How do quilt making and algebra complement each other?
Berg: Making quilts for me is incredibly pleasurable. I love designing them and cutting the fabric. I construct two types of quilts, both which probably use a lot of algebra, but it is second nature to me now. I create original wall hangings, working with different fabrics and unique designs. I work them out as I go along, just like an artist does when painting a canvas. The other ones I do are reproductions based on traditional designs. These are incredibly geometric and precise.
MiP: What would you say to kids struggling with algebra today?
Berg: Don’t give up and don’t be afraid to get help. I remember that when I figured out a tough problem in school, I felt incredibly wonderful. Even though I am an artist and my field is very creative, math has played an important role in my life.