Second semester, first assignment: the Masks Project

Masks / Magnet fine arts
Originally uploaded by trudeau

Making masks is very global as well as very Louisiana. We have Carnival, therefore we have masking. It's part of Bayou State history.

Artists have long seen the mask as a touchstone. An example might be the influence of the African mask upon Picasso's creation of the epochal painting "Demoiselles d' Avignon."

In this project our task is produce an artful mask suitable for display and for use in Carnival season.


Fat Tuesday is Feb 21.

Jan 6 begins Louisiana's Carnival season, a time for King Cakes, balls, fetes and costume planning.

The project -

Print out an illustration of the mask or masks on which you are modeling your work - 5 pts.
Examples -
- the New Orleans mask
- the Cajun mask
- the Venetian mask
- the African mask
- the Other Ethnic mask
- the Medieval plague mask
- the Burning Man mask
- the Sci-fi mask
etc, etc

Create a sketch or digital assemblage that is the proposed design (5 pts). Have it approved by your instructor.

Create the mask out of paper or a similar material (5 pts). Decorate it in artistic fashion and make a label ( title and your name) so it can be identified when displayed (5 pts).

One design consideration is the ability to attach it to a bulletin board / display panel. Making it light and in a flat plane is OK.

20 pts overall.
Deadline Wed, Jan 18.

Masks above by Nathan __ and Brian Dryer, fine arts survey 2010.