FAQ Risking Intensity

Q. What capacities does mask making develop in the student?

A. A unit in mask-making can do a great deal to foster creativity by engaging students and enabling them to use and integrate the whole range of their thinking. Authoring and sharing mask work involves risk taking as masks stimulate aspects of thinking which thrive on adventures and problem solving.

FAQ Multimask Users

Q. Who is the Multimask designed for?

A. Since 2004 the premoulded Multimask has been used by a range of organizations including primary and secondary schools, colleges, museums and art galleries, youth theatres, hospitals, drama and healing arts practitioners, and artists.

FAQ Money Worries

Q. How much does it cost?

A. Multimasks cost no more than a standard stationery item (and considerably less than traditional mask-making materials like plaster, etc). A mask making session can even RAISE money for your school, for example; fundraiser masquerade balls, mask art cafes or wearable art evenings. Some schools find they have a little money leftover in the kitty towards the end of year, and mask-making makes an excellent activity for students at a loose end.

Another option is the Artists in Schools Programme (NZ) where a Ministry of Education-funded artist can bring their expertise into your classroom http://arts.unitec.ac.nz/artistsinschools/

FAQ "Open" Curriculum Opportunity

Q. What subjects can mask-making be applied to?

A. Masks can now be tied to any subject or topic in the newly-released NZ Curriculum. Now is a golden opportunity for masks to not only link to the Arts Curriculum...but ACROSS curriculum as well, for example; English, Social Studies, Self-Science, Enterprise Studies, Technology, etc all work well as intercurriculum links (see MASKBLOG Beyond Drama).

FAQ Gently Unfolding Creativity

Q. What does the MASKWORX ribbon logo mean?

A. Someone once said "Innovation begins with an 'eye'". To that we will add: and good eye begins with a 'hand'...and good hand begins with making a mask...and a good mask begins with Multimask...and Multimask began its life as an image in the mind's eye of its creators, an image that became innovation...see how the creative flow is like a ribbon? Da Vinci called it Connessione: An appreciation of the Interconnectedness of All Things and Phenomena.

FAQ High Touch

Q. Which grade of Multimask do i choose?

A. While the Standard grade Multimask is great for classrooms and general experimental wizardry, for those Makers who have masterminded 'fingersight' or seeing with their fingertips, there comes a time to graduate to the PREMIUM GRADE Multimask. So "utterly butterly", it's a touch thing - silky with subtle absorbency, almost breathing...the perfect skin for making art of the carnival kind. (Discounts can be arranged for bulk purchases)

FAQ Big heads or Little heads

Q. Does the Multimask fit adults?

A. Even though the Multimask is designed with young people in mind, yes it does fit an adult female easily. For an adult male (with a larger sized head) it may be necessary to cut off a small portion of either the top or bottom of the full face mask (and a YouTube video demonstrates this on MASKBLOG). The Multimask can also be shaped as a masquerade or half-mask or phantom-shape which will fit adults of either gender.

FAQ Mask as Art & Icon

Q. But is it Art?

A. Almost every culture represents human and animal faces in some kind of mask. Unfortunately, Europeans used Ancient Greek idealism (classical perfect human features) as a measure of great art. Sadly, many of the symbolic masks from the cultures of Africa, Australasia and the Americas were seen as somehow less than great and declared "primitive". Now in the postmodern period, the term "primal" is more useful because it refers to people who have not lost their connection with the cycles of nature (For today's shift in protocols see Permission-based Design on MASKS2GLOBE weblog).

FAQ Eye Opener

Q. What are masks for?

A. Masks change the way we SEE the world. Somehow masks make us believe comfortably and safely in the illusion of 'someone or something else', the way a child believes that an animation character is real when, like masks, it is quite unrealistic.

FAQ Making Sense of the Funusual

Q. What does the mask's funny face shape really mean?

A. The ridiculous appearance of funusual (exaggerated) facial features suggests the liberty to transcend the taboos and imposed boundaries of our time - really the carnevalesque or grotesque Mask is all about POTENTIAL or "the shape of things to come".

FAQ Eye Catcher

Q. Why do we make masks?

A. Mask is the essence of drama. The act of putting on a false face and becoming someone (or something) else for a limited time has not been changed by time. Face decoration is at least as old as music and has been a part of storytelling since language development began. Masks add WOW factor! If you want to add DIMENSION to your story, occasion, event, outfit, show...then make masks.