Submitted
by: Stephanie Corder,
AZ Academy in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Lesson:
Venetian Carnival Masks
Unit:
Sculpture, abstraction techniques
Grade
Level: 9th and 10th Grades
(adaptable to upper elementary - middle school) Carnival Mask - using clay and plastic mold (below)
Students will learn
about sculpture by making a stylized mask using Plaster Gauze to cast a
mask of their face, referring to the style of Venetian Carnival Masks.
1.
Introduction: Look
at references of Venetian Carnival Masks noting the emphasis on fantasy,
stylization and the abstraction of features.
2.
Have everyone make sketches (at least two) of how they’d like
their mask to look, and choose the best design.
3.
Divide into teams of two, and designate who goes first.
Then have each student draw their partner’s design on their
face with water soluble marker.
4.
Liberally coat student’s face with Vaseline.
5.
Smooth a damp paper towel over the face taking care to stay
within the perimeters of the design and not lose any details.
If the mask will be covering the nose and/or mouth take care to
work around it so the student can breathe!
6.
Wet strips of plaster in warm water, and strip off excess liquid.
Begin applying strips within the pattern specified by the design.
If you’re working around the nose, use thin strips of plaster
between the nostrils; this can be filled in after the mask is removed.
7. Once you have at least three layers of thickness, allow to harden
(about 20 minutes), and then carefully remove.
8.
After completely dry, the students can reinforce any areas that
are fragile with more plaster strips.
9.
Next class, teams switch so that everyone has a mask of their
faces.
10.Once
everyone has made a mask, they may paint them with acrylics. Optional:
extend mask with mesh screen, aluminum foil, wire - secure with tape -
and plaster gauze over all (see the Spanish leather masks)
11.
Optional - Attach
a painted dowel wrapped in ribbons.
Note: Because the
majority of Venetian Masks I used in my reference left the nose and/or
mouth uncovered, I didn’t have to deal with breathing issues.
The festival known as Carnival occurs
throughout much of the Roman Catholic world. Many Americans, Catholic or
not, have attended the festivities in New Orleans. But in Venice,
Carnival traditions go all the way back to the Renaissance. For a 10-day
period before Lent, from the day after Christmas until Shrove Tuesday,
the ancient city comes alive with masked revelers enjoying pageants,
commedia dell'arte, concerts and balls.
Carnival (originally "carnevale"),
comes from the Latin for "farewell to meat." This boisterous
festival marks the beginning of Lent, the time before Easter when
Catholics refrain from eating meat. As Christianity spread throughout
Europe, simple, pre-Lenten celebrations evolved into what we know as
Carnival. But the tradition of masquerading, for which Carnival has
become known, is much older than that. It has its roots in a Roman
fertility festival where masks were worn by citizens and slaves alike.
The 1700s were the glory days of the Venetian Carnival. In those times,
mask-wearing and other unofficial activities continued past Lent, well
into the spring. Carnival was a time of nonstop partying, gambling and
general irresponsibility for people of all social classes. Jugglers,
mimes, acrobats and magicians entertained the crowds. And noblemen held
sumptuous feasts and masked balls like the one where Shakespeare's Romeo
and Juliet first met. But Carnival had its darker side, too. Masks
provided anonymity for aspiring criminals, and drunken revelers made
easy targets. Behind a mask, a respectable citizen could flaunt
conventional rules of behavior and freely explore hidden desires.
The
most common Carnival costume (the "baùtta") consisted of a
black silk hood, a lace cape and a voluminous cloak. A three-cornered
hat and a white mask completely covered the wearer's face. Other
masqueraders dressed as historical figures such as Alexander the Great
and Cleopatra. The elaborate Carnival masks, some of which were gilded,
were made in a dizzying variety of shapes including grotesque or
fanciful faces and the sun and moon.
Today, people come from all over
the world to attend Venice's private and public masked balls. The music
and dancing go on day and night, and there are theatrical performances
and an array of ancient games. The Venetian Carnival is a perfect
marriage of culture, tradition and wild celebration. (Site this is copied from is no longer online)
Begin
masks the same way (as plaster gauze dries quicker and is stronger in a
shorter amount of time). Add elements with wire, newspaper (wrap with
aluminum foil), mesh screen material, cardboard. Securely glue and tape
- then paper maché (as that is more economical and resulting mask will
be lighter weight). Lesson no longer on line.
Note to Teachers: Links were all verified at the time
this lesson was put online. Please notify us when links are broken - or
to give me additional resources you found helpful.
Alternative
Lesson: Carnival Mask with Clay Sculpture
Submitted by Stacey Fisher, Lakeview
Middle School, Winter Garden, FL
Lesson
Summary:
We take basic plastic mask
molds - cover them with plastic or foil and build up clay in
different ways. Then we cast the clay form in plaster gauze
cloth. After plaster hardens, remove it from the clay and paint
it with acrylic or tempera paint. This unit takes about 2 weeks
total with the set up and final assessment. It is always a
popular project. (click image for larger view)
Note: Keep this sculpture
clay separate from clay you sue for firing.
Submitted by
Christina Salinas, Del Mar High
School, San Jose,
CA
UNIT: Cultural Masks - Sculpture - Ceramics Slab
Lesson: Ceramic Venetian/Carnival Masks
Grade Level: Middle School through high school
From Christina:
The students start this project with a research paper on a
cultural mask. The mask may be from their culture or from
another culture. Part of the Criteria when creating their mask,
is to change it in some fashion personalizing the mask. They are
not to make an exact replica of the cultural mask. The students
choose masks from all over the world, which makes it interesting
and exciting to see what masks catches their attention.
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