As part of our new set up in Year 6, all children get to spend one afternoon per week doing Art with Miss Gibbs and Mrs Bolingbroke. They have spent the term working on an amazing project – Maya masks!
First, the children looked at ancient masks throughout history and then specifically Maya event masks, which were used in celebrations, and Maya death masks, which were used to commemorate the dead. They then used these artefacts to inspire their own designs and reflected on their colour palette and use of wider materials. To construct their masks, the children used a balloon base with air dry clay and card to model their desired facial features. Many children chose to make an event mask which combined human features with that of a sacred animal such as an iguana, jaguar or monkey. They then covered this in a layer of modroc to create a solid base.
This week, the children have painted their base coats and blocked out the main facial components in various colours. They will now be embellishing their masks with other materials, such as patterned tissue paper, feathers, marbles and beads. Stay tuned to see the incredible finished products; the children will be showing them off during assembly in the final week.
