3. Buk Mask from the Torres Straits, Mabuig
Island; made of turtle shell, wood, fibers,
feathers, shell; mid-late 19th century
4. Mask Research Questions
• Where is this mask from? (Location)
• What culture/people group made it?
• What materials were used to make
this mask?
• Who wore this mask? (What type of
person wore it?)
• How was this mask used? When was
it worn?
• What does this mask represent?
• What was the purpose of this mask?
5. Mask Poster
Must include:
• Mask Name
• Mask Photo
• Location Map
• Context Photo
• Question Answers
• QR code for a video
• List sources on the back
• Your names
You will present next class!
6. Agenda
• Warm Up: Clear everything out of damp
cabinet! Put bowls on Greenware cart.
• Share Mask Posters.
• Mask Project guidelines
• Facial Proportions & Brainstorming for Masks
12. Agenda
• Warm Up: Are all your bowls on the greenware
cart? Have you taken pics of your tumbler & tiles?
• Facial Proportions
• Sketch your mask & get design approved
• Start building your mask!
13. Mask Design
Choose ONE Theme:
• Identity
• Story
• Memory
• Rite/Ceremony
Must include:
• Eyes, nose, mouth
• Appliqué (added clay)
• Piercing / Negative Space
• Texture
• Holes for hanging
Warm Up / Anticipatory Set:
When? Where? What type? (Write down answers on board. Elicit more answers about types of masks.)
What is the purpose of these masks?
Aesthetic Scanning Activity:
**Look at this mask for 1 minute. Draw a sketch or write down 5 things you notice.
”Whip around the Room:” Each person says one detail they notice or ask a question without repeating a previous observation.
Write down info: Buk Mask from the Torres Straits, Mabuig Island, tortoise shell, wood, fibers, feathers, shell; mid-late 19th century
Watch Smart History Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ntQz5vxFec&feature=youtu.be
After students present their posters, discuss the functions of various masks:
- Identity/Anonymity - to take on the persona of another / to hide one’s identity
Storytelling – to represent a character in a legend or myth
Portraits – to represent an important person or ancestor
Rites of Passage – to help members of society gain greater responsibility or status in the community (Compare to graduation when you dress up in cap & gown as a coming-of-age ceremony.)
After students present their posters, discuss the functions of various masks:
- Identity/Anonymity - to take on the persona of another / to hide one’s identity
Storytelling – to represent a character in a legend or myth
Portraits – to represent an important person or ancestor
Rites of Passage – to help members of society gain greater responsibility or status in the community (Compare to graduation when you dress up in cap & gown as a coming-of-age ceremony.)
El luchadore takes on a different persona when wrestling, he becomes the character of the wrestler.
Anyone can become president! Besides Halloween, president masks have been used in political critique and even bank robberies!
A casanova is a ladies’ man. By putting on the mask, one can take on the persona of a suave man.
Clockwise from upper L: Chinese Kunqu/Beijing opera mask, Japanese kabuki mask, Roman mask of Silenus, Japanese Okina mask, Roman mosaic of theater masks, mask from “Scream”
Clockwise from upper L: Baule people/ Cote d’Ivoire Portrait mask (Mblo), Mycenean Mask (supposedly of Agamemnon), Roman funerary mummy mask, Tutankhamun’s mask
Clockwise from upper L: Dia de Los Muertos calaveras mask, Maori tattoo mask, Papa New Guinea Malagan mask, Mende peoples / Sierra Leon Bundu mask, Kwakwaka'wakw / Northwest coast of Canada transformation mask
After students present their posters, discuss the functions of various masks:
- Identity/Anonymity - to take on the persona of another / to hide one’s identity
Storytelling – to represent a character in a legend or myth
Portraits – to represent an important person or ancestor
Rites of Passage – to help members of society gain greater responsibility or status in the community (Compare to graduation when you dress up in cap & gown as a coming-of-age ceremony.)
After students present their posters, discuss the functions of various masks:
Portraits – to represent an important person or ancestor
Storytelling – to represent a character in a legend or myth
Rites of Passage – to help members of society gain greater responsibility or status in the community (Compare to graduation when you dress up in cap & gown as a coming-of-age ceremony.)
Identity/Anonymity - to take on the persona of another / to hide one’s identity
After students present their posters, discuss the functions of various masks:
Portraits – to represent an important person or ancestor
Storytelling – to represent a character in a legend or myth
Rites of Passage – to help members of society gain greater responsibility or status in the community (Compare to graduation when you dress up in cap & gown as a coming-of-age ceremony.)
Identity/Anonymity - to take on the persona of another / to hide one’s identity
SEE “How to Make Realistic Portrait in Clay” PPT for portrait mask tutorial
