Many African masks are carved of wood and often are adorned with human hair, dried plants, beads, metal, or animal skin. Most wooden masks are not very old because they tend to deteriorate in warm, moist climates, like Africa. Masks made of metals or ivory, are much more easily preserved and still exist after many centuries. A mask is almost always a personification of a spirit, bridging the real world with the spiritual. These masks most often are worn by dancers with elaborate costumes in important ceremonies of harvest, initiation, funerals, or war. Masks sometimes combine human and animal characteristics so that the wearer is united to everything living in the world. I decided to make an African mask because I liked the style. I saw a picture of a African mask that looked like a cheetah, and I decided to make a mask like it. By the time I finished it, my mask looked very different from the mask I based it on.

Mask Making Page	Email Leslie Goldman	Visual Art page	Jordan Home