1. MASKS
Ceramics 1 & 2 • Mrs. Estoch

2. Masks are a universal
Found in all cultures
Define Human emotion, expression
Spiritual, religious, and material.

3. Masks are often viewed as works of art
Consider how masks are used in each culture and the meanings or traditions that wearing the masks brings.

4. Masks were used before recorded history
Masks were used before recorded history. On a cave wall in southern France is the 15,000-year-old drawing of a masked dancer wearing animal horns.

5. social functions: to conceal one’s identity (as in masquerade party)
to frighten or amuse
for ritual: religious ceremonies
for performances ( as in actors and dancers).
Most nations all over the world have a cultural past which includes masks.

6. There are three basic types of masks:
the helmet mask, which covers the wearer’s entire head
the face mask, which covers the face;
the headdress mask, which sits on top of the head.

7. A mask may also be any 2-d or 3-d representation of a face, like an Egyptian mummy’s face depicting the face of the deceased. One of the most famous is the death mask of the boy king, the Pharaoh Tutankhamen.

8. A mask can also be make-up that covers and disguises the face like that of a “mime” or and actor in Japanese kabuki theatre.

9. Masks: Origins and Purpose

10. United States
Mardi Gras – French for Fat Tuesday, a celebration held annually in New Orleans, Louisiana. Parades, dances, and parties mark the occasion.
Native Americans have a rich history in mask making. They wore masks in many of their ceremonies.

11. AFRICA May reperesent spirits of dead ancestors.
To pass on sacred teachings from one generation to the next.
Tribal gatherings, festivals and other ceremonies are also occasions for which masks are worn.

12. Italy
These masks and costumes can be traced back to the commedia del arte of the 16th century. It is a traveling show of musicians, acrobats, actors, and poets.

13. Sikkim Himilayan country of Sikkim.
It represents the Lord of the Dead, Mahakalla, who is featured at the New Year’s Festivals.
By acting out these myths each year, adults pass the story on to young people.

14. Greece Masks of comedy and tragedy.
Originated in the Greece islands, where theatre was a very important part of life
All major seasonal festivals were occasions for masked performances.
Masks were large and enabled the audience to see characters on stage more easily.
COMEDY & TRAGEDY

15. BALI
When a native of Bali, a tiny island in the South Pacific, is performing a sacred temple dance, it is believed that the gods being portrayed are attending the ceremony.

16. INDIA
In northeastern India there is a three day spring dance festival held in honor of the gods Shiva and Surya.
Stories about the gods are acted out in ballet like dance dramas.

17. JAPAN
wooden masks of Japan’s theatre were first used about 600 years ago in religious plays that were only seen by priests and nobility.
Today anyone can attend the plays.
Artists carve the delicate masks out of lightweight wood.

18. CANADA
False face mask is an example of a kind of mask made by the Native Americans of what is now Canada and United States.
It was used to chase away the evil spirits.
The design of the mask was carved and removed without killing the tree.
Horsehair hairs and animal teeth were sometimes added to the mask.

19. MEXICO
Throughout Mexico, The Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd each year.
The souls of the dead are invited to return to earth to enjoy their family and friends again. People in parades wear masks.

20. Many ancient Mexican cultures made masks for ceremonial purposes.
MEXICO
Many ancient Mexican cultures made masks for ceremonial purposes.

21. Project
Students will need to sketch several ideas based upon a specific culture, and integrate elements into their mask.
Masks must be life-sized or may be larger.
Students will use the hump method of clay building to form masks.

22. Project Students will glaze or paint (or a combination of both)
and then add mixed media elements to their masks.
Class critiques of finished works (verbal and written)

23. African

24. African

25. African

26. Alaskan Indian

27. Asian

28. Egyptian

29. Greek

30. Island

31. Japanese

32. Venitian