Sunday, December 26, 2010

Seattle Art Museum Bal Masque, 1987

For Seattle Art Museum's second annual Bal Masque, a group of artists were invited to create two masks each which would be distributed to patrons attending the event. It was a surprise that Seattle's major contemporary art collectors Virginia and Bagley Wright got the masks that I made.


"Like Locusts", papier maché, 22"H x 17"W x 8"D

Like Locusts was inspired by carved Mexican masks and by a quotation from Lillian Hellman's play, "The Little Foxes." The The quotation from Addie, the maid in the play was also written on the back of the mask:

"Well, there are people who eat the earth and eat all the people on it like in the Bible with the locusts. Then there are people who stand around and watch them eat it... Sometimes I think it ain't right to stand and watch them do it."


"Fear of Destruction", papier mache, fireworks, 22"H x 14"W x 8"D

"Fear of Destruction" was inspired by Kwakiutl transformation masks and was a response to the Star Wars 'defense shield' of the Reagan administration.



"Fear of Destruction" (inner mask)

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