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Mask-making class brings out students' creativity, even at a distance
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
This semester, for the first time since she came to UMass a few years ago, Assistant Professor of Costume Design Yao Chen taught a mask-making class. This class, which will be offered every three years going forward, is intended for graduate and advanced undergraduate students.
Students were introduced to the art and craft of making mask using the products thermoplastic, liquid latex and other principal mediums. They had the opportunity to choose their own projects. During the semester, the students created a plaster face cast, learned to sculpt in “wet clay”, formed the mask in thermoplastic, and prepared the mask to be worn while learning the basic elements of design: line, proportion, balance, mass.
This class did not quite proceed as planned — like everyone else, halfway through the semester, Chen and her students left campus due to the COVID-19 related campus closure. Before they left, however, everyone grabbed their materials so they could continue their creative work at home, and create they did.
“Art and imagination still flow like a river and keep thriving during this unique time," said Chen.
Click on the link below to visit a slideshow with images and descriptions of their work, including some stunning masks from all participants!
