Grade 8 art students studied the enduring art of traditional Venetian mask making and its uses in the past and present. This challenging long-term project takes us from a sketched idea all the way through to making the mask a reality!
Students created their masks based on original sketches inspired by traditional designs and themes of the mezzo-volto Columbina style used for centuries to celebrate Carnivale in Vencie, Italy. Students were encouraged to create unique designs while considering functionality and construction limitations, use of the entire surface space, concept or theme, color scheme, and more. When the design plan was in place, students built the 3-D mask form from plaster craft (plaster-soaked gauze) by hand, unmolded the forms, then painted the design work with acrylics. The final touches were textural elements and embellishments added to the surface to complete the final work.
