MAKING MASKS: Masks and disabled / handicapped children

1. • Susan 6 years, 2 months ago

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   • I am very interested to learn from any kind of experience any of you may have with working with masks and handicapped / disabled children ( physically and mentally ).
     Both maskmaking and maskdrama.

     Susan

2. • 6 years, 1 month ago

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   • i work in a mr/dd pre-school (mr/dd=mental retardation/developmental dissabilities for anyone who doesent know) i have also worked with older children and adults and i was a theatre major in college, so this topic realy excites me!! i guess the first question i would ask is what age children are you working with and what are their dissabilities? I would suggest making masks to go with whatever unit you are working on or a book being read. I think that using feathers and interesting fabrics would be nice...tactilely diverse materials and many different colors so that there would be sensory involvement. finger painting may also be nice. an animal theme would be interesting before a field trip to the zoo. if working with higher functioning students or those with physical limitations masks may be a nice way to inegrate the arts when going to the theatre. your speech therapist may want to use the theatre aspect as a fun way to do speech excersizes (theatre excersizes for the voice and speech excersizes i find can be a lot alike somtimes) I know the suggestion that i was given for the masks made on rocks is somethingwe are planning on using in my class: we talked about it and we are going to collect rocks outside and save them for a nature week in the winter (when we have to bring nature to us) well i hope my ramblings helped...i would like to discuss this with you further...we could chat about the kids we work with and maybe bounce some ideas off eachother!!
     "see abilities, think possibilities"
     Chrissy

3. • Susan 6 years, 1 month ago

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   • Hi Chrissy
     I,ve been so busy that I forgot to thank you for your good reply to my question...I am supposed to do a workshop soon with disabled children. But they haven't contacted me yet about participants. So I dont know yet what kind of kids as students...can I contact you later for ideas?

     Sincerely Susan  

4. • Susan 6 years ago

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   • Chrissy - Hi    I just finished maskmaking with 7 disabled children - age 11. Mentally and physically disabled in variuos ways and degreees. Some with speechability - some not. 2 couldn't use their hands. I was succes...I didn't get information about the kids until very shortly before start - so I didn't get time to research, ask, discuss...Maybe my luck. I decided to use exactly the same procedure as I do with not - disabled kids.Making wearable papermache masks
     We were 6 adult helpers. And everybody had a great time. We used clay - vaseline - paper - glue/paste - varnish - paint - decoration of scrap,, feathers, pearls etc etc..
     They named their masks and we spend time talking about the moods of people and their masks..Because they were working with that in their class with their teachers...School will now continue to work with the masks. The kids are going to create stories related to their creations and the subject of emotion, empathy and feelings.
     I set up a small exhibition with their masks and a photoserie with text - showing their process and our week together - at the public library in the town where it took place. They had a "handicap - day " for disabled children and their families. Half the group turned up with mom and dad - and they were proud to see their work in public. It was a warm - loving experience. We all enjoyed it immensely. Except for two children they could all handle the process with a bit of help. The two kids who could not use their hands, got their hands on every detail anyway and made own choices in the creating.
     They enjoyed the different tactile experiences very much - and their use of colors was a blessing to watch! If you like I can mail some photos...I will try to get permission to publish their work on Maskmakersweb - in the Gallery.

     Best Wishes Susan
     

5. • rozani 5 years, 11 months ago

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   • Great Job, Susan!

     Congratulations on your workshop. What a very nice story with a happy ending. You did it and very well I might add. The masks are wonderful and I'm sure the children will remember this very special time in their lives. I'm impressed with the results, as I've never used mache' over clay with vaseline. Perhaps I will try it.

     Regards, Rozani

6. • Susan 5 years, 11 months ago

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   •    Thank you, Rozani.
     I just got a message that the handicap workshop will be repeated in March with new children. That's nice. I use vaseline almost all the time - except when I dry my masks in the kitchen oven. Vaseline allows the details to remain almost as I did them in the clay. and I enjoy the " mess " of my process.
     Susan

7. • cabrera 5 years, 10 months ago

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   • Hi Susan. Even if it has been some time you did this workshop I would like to ask something. Did you do a mould of the children faces or what did you use as a base to form the masks on? One of the pictures show a white form in front of each child when you are explaining to them about masks so I wonder. It looks like it was a great workshop and the masks they did where very creative and fantastic. Hope all is well with you and that you can solve the problem with your workshop.
     Augusto.

8. • Susan 5 years, 10 months ago

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   •    Hi Augusto. Thank you. The molds you can see on the photos are plaster molds made in plastic neutral masks. You can buy them in the Danish Amateur Theatre Association shop. I made 25 of them to use in workshops, since I rarely have the opportunity to make casts of the student's faces.I sometimes use stones or wood or pans and things like that instead, to build on.
     The studio problem has not yet been solved - but I think we'll end up arranging a studio in our flat.It will be allright. Just a lot of work and rearranging - it is time consuming - and also a bit sad to leave this lovely old stable we are working in now.Still want the larval mask workshop !!
     

9. • 5 years, 9 months ago

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   • hello, just wanted to give a tip to anyone in the uk or in scandinavia who are thinking of working with people with learning disability using drama, or indeed working with masks: there is an artscompany in devon uk who have over 10 years experience putting o?n shows, even films with people w.learning diff. every so often they put o?n training courses in using drama with different kinds of groups, such as the above mentioned, young people at risk, with offenders and within mental health.(all separete courses)<br />they also do work in norway and sweden, and there are plans to set up a training course for work w. people w. learning disabilities in the future. <br />see their website: www.wolfandwater.org<br />(a basic maskmaking workshop for beginners will be held in hamar norway the 7-9 of march this year.) <br /><br />linda

     ps(the term 'handicapped' is an outdated one, and it is prefered to use the term learning disability/difficulty and (physical) disability )

10. • Susan 5 years, 9 months ago

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    •    Hi Linda
      Thank you for the information. The words to use are changing in DK too in my language . It has changed from time to time as long as I can recall. but never covers the problems completely. Touchy stuff. I have been personally strongly connected to
      &quot; the world of disability&quot; and always found the terms used very difficult to deal with.
      I checked out the website - it looks like great work. Thanks

      Susan
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