Mask makers and their craft: an illustrated worldwide study

Abstract

Profiling 30 mask makers from around the world, this book explores the motivations and challenges of contemporary artists working to bring the traditional methods and conventions of mask making to an evolving global theater. More than 150 photographs of mask makers and their works illustrate how the mythic iconography of masks is used in the modern fields of dance, mime, theatre, and storytelling. Topics include the ways in which mask artists and performers maintain a sense of universality despite varying local customs; the legacies of Italian mask makers Amleto and Donato Sartori and of the California-based Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre; and the ways in which traditional approaches in mask artistry continue to influence commercial mask performance ventures in film, on Broadway, and in touring masked performances.