African Masks

http://www.artyfactory.com/africanmasks/masks/baule.htm

African Masks

The Materials of an African Mask

African masks are made from different materials: wood, bronze, brass, copper, ivory, terra cotta and glazed pottery, raffia and textiles. They are often decorated with cowrie shells, coloured beads, bone, animal skins and vegetable fibre.

However, the majority of masks and sculptures are made of wood for two reasons:

1. Trees are in plentiful supply in the forest.

2. The carver believes that the tree has a spiritual soul and its wood     is the most natural home for the spirit in the mask.

Before it is cut down, a sacrifice may be offered as a mark of respect to the spirit of the tree requesting its permission for the carving. Its life is governed by the same natural and supernatural forces that inspire the artist and his community. This type of ritual is common to many cultures that have a close spiritual bond with nature.

Wooden masks are often coloured with natural dyes and pigments created from vegetables, plants, seeds, tree bark, soil and insects. Occasionally they are splashed with sacrificial blood to increase their spiritual power.

The tools used to make a carving - traditionally the Adze - are also endowed with their own particular spirits. When tools are passed down through different generations, they sometimes inherit the spirit and skills of their previous owners. They, like the artist, his carving, and the tree from which it came, are all part of that 'oneness' of nature - the ecological vision that informs all African tribal culture.

Objectives:

1. Compare and contrast various forms of artistic expression associated with specific groups of people, geographic regions, or time periods.
2. Investigate processes and beliefs used by various cultures and institutions, past and present, to create works of art -- Describe how artists use materials, tools, images, and ideas to create works of art.
3. Speculate about a work of art, i.e. who made it; what materials, techniques and skills were used; its intended purpose/audience; and how it was used -- Discover how an object is similar in function but different in structure due to who made it, materials used, and how and when it was made -- Identify the cultural clues found within arts forms and events -- Compare and discuss works of art based on similar sources of inspiration.
4. Control a variety of materials (clay, mixed media), tools techniques and processes while creating works of art -- Recognize how technical elements affect works of art. Explore texture and draped slab method of construction. Try additive and subtractive sculptural techniques.
5. Connect ides, materials, processes and techniques while creating works of art -- Assess, revise or adjust art products through a reflective process --Integrate planning
6. Discover how a group's beliefs and values are reflected in its art forms and stylistic choices

Materials:

Mask handouts, 9 x12 Newsprint (some may want longer paper for horns), Pencils, Scissors, Clay (self hardening clay may be used, too), Newspapers, Canvas, Guide sticks, Rolling Pin, slip dishes, Clay, Clay Tools, Clay Needle Tool, Fettling Knives, texture gadgets (old Play-Dough tools are great), stamps, various Texture Tools, wood/Masonite boards, moist paper towels, plastic bags

For finishing:

Acrylic Paint (brown, black and assorted colors), Paint Markers, Brushes, water dishes,
wire for hanging (old telephone wire works great), jute, Assorted Yarn, Assorted Beads, gems, natural stones, shells, raffia, horsehair, boas, natural seed pods, and other nature things...moss, feathers, etc - Be creative! Tacky Glue, Glue Gun, Glue Gun Glue Sticks

Resources:
Book "African Sculpture Speaks" - A systematic style guide analyzes the characteristic features of the different styles of tribal sculpture, and a special chapter for the collector tells how to buy and care for African art. Segy also discusses the styles of the main sculpture-producing tribes in East and South Africa.
Art and Life of Africa - CD-Rom University of Iowa
New! African Masks: Burkina Faso - DVD by Christopher Roy
African Art Techniques: Wood, Cloth, Metal, Clay
Teacher made PowerPoint of mask images -- and/or slides (St. Louis Museum of Art has an excellent introduction to African Art with cassette tape) - Numerous prints
Playful Performers - Why Wear a Mask? - National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. - online exhibit to bring to young people an enhanced understanding of the many roles that masks play in various African societies and cultures. Must see!
Masks from Many Cultures - Crystal Production Video
See African Masks- Site gives a nice overview of styles, materials used and reasons for masks of Africa - shows a few examples (graphics not photos- but still good enough for students to get the idea) -- and there is a short quiz. The hands on project is a positive/negative space design (one exactly like I did with 6th graders and 3rd graders)
Kanika African Sculpture - See African inspired masks by Kanika Marshall