Creature Masks in Clay

In this fun two-day ceramic workshop with ceramic artist Cat Guevara, tamariki will explore the fascinating world of masks, creatures and transformation through clay. 

We’ll begin by looking at masks from different cultures and learning how masks have been used for thousands of years for celebration, storytelling, ceremony, performance and connecting with spiritual or ancestral worlds. 

A particular focus will be placed on Latin American and Pre-Columbian mask traditions, introducing examples from Mexico, Colombia and the wider region. For example, ceramic masks were made in ancient Mesoamerica, while the Tolita-Tumaco cultures of what is now southern Colombia and northern Ecuador created ceramic masks with expressive human and supernatural features. 

Students will then use these ideas as inspiration rather than copying cultural objects. They will invent their own fantastical creature, guardian, animal or character, sketch it, and then transform a simple paper mask template into a sculptural ceramic mask. 

The workshop combines cultural learning, drawing, hand building, sculptural problem-solving and imaginative play. 
 
Masks will be fired after the workshop and ready to collect a few weeks later. 

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