Art Masks and Costumery

This is just a sampling of wearable art masks, cuffs, pins, mitts and crowns that I have been making as one of a kind costume pieces since 2012. I was initially transfixed by ancient masks from the collection in Milwaukee Public Museum as a child. They both intrigued and scared me and I recognized that masks were part of a collective human experience full of power and interpretation.

My masks are inspired by nature, folklore, fiction, holidays, seasons, human struggle and storytelling of all kinds. They are made from conventional and unconventional materials that were available; natural feathers, fungi, mosses, seed pods, vintage millinery supplies (from the 1920s-1960s), jewelry supplies, archival glues, paper mache, clock pieces, hardware, wires, floral supply, ribbons, stones, plastic, glitter, paints and a whole bunch of experimentation. Through these experiments, I found joy in the challenge and growth opportunities that come with working with as many different materials I could find. I also found that I would never run out of materials to create anything I could imagine. Every mask became better than the last and a little more difficult to let go of.