The University of Arizona
 

NEWS
RELEASE

Youngsters Lend Their Talents to Museum Celebration

Masks of Mexico: Santos, Diablos Y Más
A New Exhibition at Arizona State Museum
October 22, 2005–November 5, 2006

Date of Release: September 21, 2005

The use of masks in Mexico dates from 3000 BC. Masks were used by priests to summon the power of deities and in the sacrifices of pre-Hispanic Mexico. With Spanish contact masks were used to educate neophytes on the Christian faith, and "shock and awe" the indigenous people through dramatic presentations such as the Battle of the Moors and the Christians. As the two cultures fused, the imprint of each was recorded in masks as well as in the dances they have been used for. The role of the mask has been a dynamic one representing the ever-changing belief systems unique to peoples and geographic regions through time.

MASKS OF MEXICO: Santos, Diablos Y Más
October 22, 2005–November 5, 2006
Experience the beauty, pageantry, and power of traditionally carved Mexican masks from pre-Hispanic times to the present.

Friday, October 21, 2005
PRE-OPENING CELEBRATION for MASKS OF MEXICO
7–9:00 p.m.
Enjoy Mexican-style refreshments, live music, and a traditional, masked Mexican folk drama performed by Borderlands Theater as we celebrate the opening of MASKS OF MEXICO. ($5)

Saturday and Sunday, October 22 and 23, 2005
FIESTA DE LAS ARTES!
10 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Shop for traditional Hispanic arts and crafts as you enjoy vibrant music, colorful dancing, lively theatrical performances, and informative demonstrations! Savor delicious traditional foods! ($3 ASM members, $5 general, $1 ages 13–16, children 12 and under free)

(Tucson, AZ) A number of Tucson youngsters are using their artistic talents to make the opening of Arizona State Museum's newest exhibition, "Masks of Mexico," a festive cultural event.

Under the direction of folklorist Dr. Maribel Alvarez, members of the Youth Theater Project at Borderlands Theater are developing an original script for a masked play entitled "Coyote y Culebra." The play will be performed by the young actors at the museum's pre-opening celebrations for "Masks of Mexico" on Friday, October 21 and during the museum's "Fiesta de las Artes" on October 22 and 23.

"We are utilizing folk tales, Southwest cultural references, and the region's ethnic and geographical communities as inspiration," explains Alvarez. "The script, developed by local playwright Toni Press Coffman, offers a basic frame of well-known Southwest folk characters and elements. It also leaves lots of room for the children to insert folk stories passed through their own families and neighbors."

The characters developed in the script will dictate the type and number of masks needed in the performance and therefore those to be created. Those required so far include an old woman, a saguaro, a coyote, a snake, and a jaguar. The job of creating the masks has been expertly taken on by Katleen Koopman 6th grade art class at La Cima Middle School.

Already the La Cima 6th graders have enjoyed a field trip to Arizona State Museum where they met with exhibit curators, got a behind-the-scenes tour, and learned about Mexican mask traditions. "Masks have been used in theatrical performances in Mexico for thousands of years," explains ASM Curator Diane Dittemore to the kids. "Your play will be an extension of a tradition that is at least 5,000 years old!"

"What energy!" marvels Beth DeWitt, the museum's school program coordinator. "These kids came really well-prepared and ready to create. Now that they've seen some of the amazing historic masks in our collections, they have a good sense of how and why they were created. Some of the masks going in the exhibit are just wild, so Kathleen's kids got some great design ideas."

In order for the 6th graders to learn even more about the nuts and bolts of mask making, two mask making artists will visit the kids in their classroom—Beckie Kravetz from the Los Angeles Opera and Phoenix-based mask artist Zarco Guerrero.

"This is a project that promotes genuine learning: solving real-world problems, being part of a collaboration, interacting with professionals, and seeing the results of their hard work enjoyed outside the school setting," explains Koopman. "The students are excited to be participating."

Following the performances of "Coyote y Culebra" at ASM the weekend of October 21, the masks will be auctioned off in support of the student art project and Borderlands Theater.

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Editorial Notes
Performances of the play and the creation of the original masks are projects sponsored by the museum's Office of Ethnohistorical Research. Contact Diana Hadley at 520-621-6279 for more information.

Materials for the mask project are generously funded by the Cacioppo Foundation.

The play development project, part of a partnership between Borderlands Theater and the University of Arizona's Southwest Center, is designed to encourage and train local teachers to use folklore materials in the classroom. Contact Maribel Alvarez at 520-626-6755 for more information.

Beth DeWitt can be reached at 520-621-4895. Diane Dittemore can be reached at 520-621-2079. Kathleen Koopman, 520-696-6756. Becky Kravetz, 520-623-8261. Zarco Guerrero, 480-834-573.