Content Standard: Artistic
creativity, performance, and expression
Level: Intermediate
Specific Statement(s) from the Standard:
B. in visual arts, demonstrate the ability to communicate
ideas effectively through at least three different media and techniques,
use cultures or historical periods, and describe selected works
of art in terms of the elements and principles of visual elements
and principles of art to effectively communicate ideas, associate
artwork with various or media arts.
Product(s):
Task Description:
Overview: You will make
a mask based on your selected character's emotions and/or actions
in one scene of your group's theater production. You will write
an artist's statement about the techniques and processes you used,
how the elements of visual arts communicate the mood, personality,
feelings, or some other selected intent of your character in that
scene, and/or how the mask contributes to the significant aspect
of your community, region, or state that your theater production
is trying to communicate.
Thinking about masks:
1. Masks are traditionally used in theater productions
for a variety of reasons including: to disguise, to fool people,
to boldly represent the emotions or personality of a character,
to frighten the audience, to invoke power and/or authority, to
represent admirable traits, or simply to make the character larger
than life.
Your teacher will provide materials for you to view
and read about masks as they have been used historically and in
other countries. Read the autobiography you created for your character
again. View the video of your character performance if your group
taped each member's performances. Think about how you could use
a mask to enhance your performance as that character and portray
the character's personality or emotions. Consider how a mask might
help communicate some significant aspect of your community, region,
or state to the audience.
Developing mask ideas:
2. Complete the Mask Planning Sheet.
Draw your mask in pencil. Use a variety of lines
and/or shapes to create as much detail as possible. Your teacher
will make two copies of your pencil drawing on a copy machine.
Place your original pencil drawing in your file folder.
Use the two copies to experiment with color and texture. Use at least two different media on each copy to add colors and textures that communicate the mood, personality, or reactions of your character and/or any significant aspect of your community in a particular scene from your theater production. You are being asked to use a variety of art media and art elements so that you may find the best way to communicate your chosen intent. Remember to use
a variety of art elements (color, shape, space, line) on each version
techniques appropriate for the selected art media
to create two distinctly different versions that
show the same feeling, mood, personality, or selected intent you
wish to communicate.
Selecting the mask for the performance:
3. Meet with your theater production group and look at each other's masks. Discuss the effectiveness of the different art
- elements to communicate your character's feeling, mood, personality, or other selected intent
- media to to communicate your character's
feeling, mood, personality, or other selected intent.
Select the mask that best fits your intent, based
on feedback from your group. Record their observations about that
mask and place them in your file folder to use later in your artist's
statement and to improve your final, finished performance mask.
Completing the final mask:
4. Use your original pencil drawing in your file
folder and graph paper to enlarge your mask to the most effective
size for the performance of your group's theater production. Transfer
your drawing to heavy tagboard, cardboard, clay, papier-maché,
or any material suitable for working with your chosen media and
for wearing during the performance. Using your selected version
and any suggestions for improvement from your group, complete
the performance mask using techniques appropriate for the art
media.
Reflecting on the Mask:
4. Identify and describe the art elements and principles
you used to create the mask. Place a transparent paper or sheet
of acetate on top of the completed mask. Circle or mark examples
of each different art element: lines, shapes, colors, space, textures.
Locate and label any art principles: balance, rhythm/pattern,
movement, variety, emphasis, repetition.
Develop an artist's statement about the mask. The artist's statement should:
describe how key art elements show the physical traits and communicate your chosen intent
describe why the art media you selected were good for communicating your chosen intent
identify and describe the art principles you used
to design your mask and communicate your chosen intent.
You may use your Mask Planning Sheet and your notes from selecting your most effective mask to help you. Write your artist's statement and place in your file folder.
Special Notes:
1. Before completing this task the student will need to have had prior experience in and/or knowledge of the following:
- drawing with at least three different media: pencil, crayon, colored pencil, charcoal, chalk pastel, oil pastel, and markers
- the art elements of line, shape, color, texture, and space
- the art principles of balance, movement, variety, emphasis, rhythm/pattern, and repetition
- a variety of mask styles from a variety of countries for different functions
- the communicative/expressive qualities and possibilities of the various art elements and principles
- some techniques and rules for rendering faces/portion
in features.
2. If students are to use clay or papier-maché
for their final masks, instruction in those media would need to
take place before this assignment.
3 The symbols, images, or shapes that students feel
represent their community, region, or state could become a mural
background for their theater production. If students were to create
a mural background, individual planning sheets and structured
assignments would be necessary help them create that art work.
The mural background for the theater production could be in addition
to the mask or replace the mask as the visual art work in this
performance package.
4. Student could be asked to create a theater production
program using the program notes for the music selection and the
program notes for the dance. If visual art work on the cover of
the program were added to this theater production, individual
planning sheets and structured assignments would be necessary
to help the students create that art work. The mural, mask, and
program cover could all be visual art tasks in this theater arts
project.