ED 616

Objective: Have students reproduce in collage format masks from around the world, paying particular attention to the use of color combinations.

Re-seeing (art criticism) - Explore basic color combinations through the masks of various cultures around the world.

Seeing (art aesthetics) - Explore different emotions of the masks and the reasoning behind the mask.

Placing (art history) - Students will be introduced to masks of Africa, Northwest Coastal Indians, and the Bolivian Andes through the observation of color combinations.

Making (art production) - Assignment: create a collage reproduction of a mask using small blocks of color from magazines

Procedure - (1) In groups of two or three, students cut out blocks (1cm x 1cm) of color - i.e. group 1 cuts out all shades of blue, group 2 cuts out all shades of yellow, etc. (2) Students select one picture of a mask to reproduce (3) Students pencil on board a general outline of mask (4) Using the various color blocks, students collage onto the board, trying to get a sense of color.

Materials needed: magazines, scissors, glue, white tag board, pencils,

History/Research

African Masks: African masks are an important element in art dance and ritual. They are worn only by the men in complex rituals. Typically, the mask is representative of a supernatural being. These masks are mostly made of wood and bark, then carved and some are burned.

#29 - hard, light colored wood, eye holes in mouth, circular pupils burnt

#54 - "Bombo" mask, initiation ceremonies, copper foil, fabric, beads, goat hair

Northwest Coastal Indian Masks: These masks were worn at social ceremonies, feasts, potlatches, magic rituals, and curing rituals. Most shamans, the healers, had full sized masks and smaller masks for the sick. Each clan had a symbol that was personified in a mask and worn by the head of the family.

#11 (Wardwell) - Shaman’s mask, represents old man, wood and rawhide

#36 (Holm) - Sea Monster mask, "Yagim" = badness, wood, cedar bark, cotton

Masks of the Bolivian Andes: Unlike the others, these masks were made from a multitude of materials, including plaster, wool-knit, metal, wire mesh, and wood. Each mask represented a myth from the culture that was typically acted out or worn during cultural celebrations.

Pg 69 - Danzanti - dance of exhaustion (3 days and nights), tribe safe from plague and drought

Pg 46 - Ch’uta - made of pink wire mesh and twisted horse hair, represents white man, mocking

Native American Culture
World Geography - using masks as reference points to the world
Tribal Customs
Literature - myths related to masks, making masks to go with known myths
Roles of men and women in various cultures
Dances - learning different types of dance
Math - proportions of different colors/fractions
Masks in contemporary culture