Design a Mask

Students engaged in a sculpture project to create a "conceptual" mask at home. Reflecting upon the role of the mask as a new part of our daily attire during the pandemic, they created masks to convey thoughts or ideas about the current moment. Each student photographed themselves or a family member in their mask as an extension of the project.

Taylor

I made my mask to send a message about global warming and pollution. It reads left to right, with the left side being what the earth is/was like, versus the right side which is what the earth will be like in the future. It is a huge problem for humanity, so I wanted to help and make this mask to spread awareness.

Clare

For my project, I chose to create a mask that depicted Autumn. I took fallen red leaves from a tree in my yard, and some green leaves from my lemon tree. I hot glued them to a disposable mask. I chose this design because I find the Autumn leaves in my yard very beautiful. Since I am inside on the computer most of the day, I do not get to go outside very often. When I do, I enjoy seeing the leaves change and the colorful leaves around me. I also thought that the tree in the background of the mask would make a beautiful image.

Helen

There is no exact idea behind my mask, it was purely out of curiosity on how the process might turn out. I’ve wanted to work with wire for a while now and this project was the perfect opportunity. When this project was first announced, I knew that I wanted the mask to be bold and structured. Trees and branches seemed like components that would blend into that idea. I had a little trouble working with the wire and the final product was definitely not what I had imagined, but creating it was exciting.

Aseli

This project was very difficult to plan in the beginning but as time went on my idea kept getting better. I was honestly at a point where I had no clue what to do and started wearing the different masks I had in my drawer and using that as inspiration. I was desperate to figure out what I was going use after two classes of sitting down and drawing what I wanted to make, but not actually making anything. So I took the nearest item near me and it was a Nike show box that I had under my bed. I really like the color and the logo so I used it. An important aspect of my mask was the folds that I cut off the box. During this process, I noticed how cool looking and symmetrical the folds are on Nike boxes. The first step was cutting each fold off just to take a look at when separated from the box. Then I used some symmetric parts from both sides of the box and taped that together.

Charlie

My mask is made out of a children's Christmas book cover that I found in my room. Using tape and scissors, I cut the cover into the shape I wanted it and taped some other decorations on the mask cut out. I then cut eye holes and holes for the string on each side and tied my string around it. I got the idea because I was looking around my room for an idea and i decided that I wanted to make it out of a book. I have a lot of books in my room but not many Christmas ones. I wanted to do a Christmas book because It is the holiday season.

Elliot

During my mask making, I used 4 different materials. I used spray paint, hot glue, screws, and a Sharpie. My mask was built off of the top of a motorcycle helmet (the visor part) because I liked the way it looked and how it kind of made it look creepy and that you'd want to stay away. I used screws to imitate the stay away factor as well. I tried to make the dripping paint look like germs and like someone had coughed on me that’s why they were green. I used the slogan “Wear a mask” because I think it's really important for this time.

Charlie B.

The only materials I used for my mask was paper and string, along with a bit of tape to construct it. My idea behind my mask was origami and folding. The base masks were made solely from folding (I did follow a tutorial for it), and I also added some origami flowers and leaves.

Audrey

I made my mask look like a Pikachu face because during Covid we are under strict rules of wearing masks and social distancing. But this does not mean that we cannot have fun with our masks. A Pikachu mask has vibrant colors and is well known. It shows how we can still have fun and be creative. This mask was created to show how we can enjoy our favorite tv shows while following rules. I feel as though masks should be created in a joyful way so that it brightens our day a little, and it adds some pop to our everyday lives.

Luke

I chose to create a plague doctor mask for my project. I used paper, colored pencil, and pipe cleaners. The idea of my mask is that it was a mask worn by people in Medieval times when they were treating people with the plague. The reason it has a beak is because the people during that time believed disease was spread by bad air. To battle this imaginary threat, the long beak was packed with sweet smells. The successes of creating my mask were that it fit really well and it had a nice shape to it in the end.

Paola

I choose to make my mask out of newspaper; since my family does not usually get the newspaper in the mail, I had to improvise by printing articles and dipping the paper into coffee to achieve that old color and texture.I also started with a plain surgical mask to have as my base.I glued all the newspaper on and layered it so it would look fuller of words on both sides.All the articles I printed were about wearing masks and they are by the CDC, Fauci, and other important organizations.I did this because I think people don’t fully understand that they must wear a mask, not only to protect themselves but also others. Although it is a little plain, I believe that the message, like the mask, is plain and simple.

Cole

I chose to make a mask out of old school work I have kept. I cut up different pieces of work and collaged them together to create a mask. I stapled and taped the different pieces of paper together as one single mask. Finally I used rubber bands and the ear straps because I can easily make them tighter or looser. With this design I was about how much school is a part of my life and how lucky I am to get an education. Therefore, I am showing a big part of my and a lot of students' lives.

Samantha

The materials I used to make this mask are: cardboard, tape, paper, and rubber bands. A challenge was cutting the cardboard to fit my face- that’s why I made it a box. I made a butterfly to hopefully distract people from focusing on the shape of the mask.

Chase

I chose to make my mask based off of the Marvel character, “Venom”. I wanted to do this because I thought that it would be cool to make a mask on his scary mouth. The materials I used were paper. Colored pencil, and scissors. I made my mask out of paper.

Eliza

In this project, I chose to make a mask based around symbols and objects familiar to us because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I turned to history for inspiration, and I saw the plague doctor mask as a good starting point. My ideas expanded from there, and I decided to try to combine two different symbols - death and life, by using flowers and the plague doctor mask. From there, it began to take on new meaning. Flowers are used to express so many things and actions - flowers placed on a grave, a corsage a girl wears at a school dance, flowers a bride walks down the aisle with, and so many more. I chose to use both flowers and the plague mask because they show how timeless certain struggles can be - and how humanity is still facing some of the same conflicts it did 670 years ago, and we still grieve as we did then. By extension, it represents change, but it can mean so many different things to many different people. Both of these symbols mean something to everybody, whether they incite fear or love or happiness.

Matthew

I made my mask out of a gingerbread house, a gingerbread tree, and a normal mask. I glued all of those things together and made the first-ever gingerbread mask. I wanted to make this mask because no one ever thinks about making a mask out of gingerbread cookies. And it was really hard to make which was a fun challenge.