1. Masks and their Purposes
Art and festivals around the world

2. Masks are used… To celebrate festivals To represent a holiday
To represent a special time in your life.
To have fun with!
To scare people!

3. A popular mask holiday is Halloween!

4. Other celebrations that masks are used in American culture are…
Christmas (Santa, elves, etc)
Easter (bunnies and chicks)
Birthdays (clowns, etc)
Mardi Gras

5. Many different cultures use masks for different events such as…
African cultures
Mexico and Aztec cultures
Native American cultures
Oceanic, Polynesian and other island cultures.

6. Masks in African Culture

7. African Cultures have many events that they celebrate with Masks
Sweet Sixteen celebrations
Harvest celebrations
Child birth
Death
Initiation

8. Aztec and Hispanic cultures

9. These cultures celebrate
Religious ceremonies
Death
Ancient gods
Warriors of ancient times

10. Polynesian or Oceanic Cultures

11. These masks are used to Ward off evil spirits Celebrate Culture
Celebrate life and death

12. Native American Masks

13. These masks are used to Celebrate higher power Entertain people
Help the ill with their medicinal ceremonies
Celebrate strength and life in your being.

14. Your assignment will be to…
Think of a ceremony, holiday, or special event in your life that you celebrate.
Sketch your ideas, using the ideas from the cultural masks seen.
Use your knowledge of symmetry in your mask design.
Create a mask using poster board, wire, etc to build your mask.
Paint this mask according to your celebration
Write a paragraph to attach on the back, explaining your mask.

15. Materials
Poster board, wire, tape, paint, found objects, paper mache.

16. Make this project really shine!
Think about your celebration
Think about your sketches
Make your colors and shapes really stick out.
Be really creative!
Good Luck!