Caribbean Folk Art: Hand-Stitched Masks

Come learn how to make hand-stitched masks in this folk art class based on the Guyanese river spirit, the Massacurra Man, who haunts the rivers of Guyana. With Zoe Butler teaching, you’ll learn about the context of the Massacura Man and their Indigenous and West African origins. Then, we’ll learn about the tradition of mask-making in Caribbean cultures and make our own Caribbean-inspired masks using felt bases which the teacher will make ahead of time, fabric, lace, and other natural materials like leaves. Leave class with a mask you’ve made yourself, perfect for Halloween costumes or wall art! About Your Instructor Zoe is a teaching artist and curator engaging with Caribbean folklore stories. Her video artwork often takes an interest in the transformation of objects over time; whether reflected in the decay of family VHS tapes or the erosion of slave ship wreckage. Zoe is a Diaspora Solidarity Lab Fellow, where she co-curated the current exhibition, Laas Absan Peldía: Caribbean Cinema Cultures at the MSU Broad Museum. She is a Fulbright U.S. Student Alumni affiliated with the University of the West Indies Department of Creative and Festival Arts.