Metro Pulse Online: Mask Show

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This year's show is a collector's dream come true

by Heather Joyner

Editor's Note: By a distressing turn of events, the annual mask show described above is currently unavailable to the public. On Monday afternoon, allegedly due to construction work in the empty lot next door, a large part of the south wall of Tomato Head collapsed. Though most of the interior, including the mask show, remains intact, the century-old building is off limits for reasons of safety. Plans are afoot to move the show to another location and we will keep you informed once a new venue has been located. We trust Tomato Head's closure will be temporary and brief; for years, it has been not only one of Knoxville's best restaurants, but with changing shows each month, coordinated by Cindy Spangler of UT's Ewing Gallery, it's also one of our liveliest art museums.

According to artist, teacher, and art coordinator Diane Fox, the idea for Tomato Head's annual mask show occurred to her in '94 when she was asked to produce a poster for Community Shares' Mardi Gras. An organization promoting "change in our own backyard," Community Shares assists a variety of groups such as Jubilee Community Arts, Tennesseans for Fair Taxation, the Knoxville Recycling Coalition, the Humane Society, and the Highlander Research and Education Center (to name but a few). The organization asserts that as little as $1 a month donation can enroll a child in TennCare, and $10 a month can sponsor 10,000 meals for the hungry.

"I really believe in Community Shares because it's an umbrella group that covers things the United Way does not, and the notion of including other artists in the Mardi Gras fund-raising effort [was a good one]...it seemed like a way to bring the arts community together and benefit Community Shares at the same time. Part of the proceeds from the mask show go toward that," says Fox. Since its inception, the mask exhibit has grown to feature more pieces.

"In the beginning, I asked mostly people I knew to participate... including designers," remarks Fox. "This time the show consists of about two-thirds new people and one-third people who have been doing it since we started. The majority of those involved do not regularly make masks, nor do they do three dimensional [fine] art. What I love is that individuals come up to me all the time and say, 'I'm so glad you had me make that mask because I ended up using materials and working in a way I don't normally, and I can bring that back into my other work.'"

This year's masks reflect both traditional interpretations and approaches that are considerably more freewheelin'. Whereas "Abby" has created what appears to be an African mask dating back hundreds of years, Susan Metros has played with the word "mask" and painted black against a field of red edged with masking tape peeling downward. Shaped from steel mesh run through with purple ribbon (with a single strand of blue defining its profile), a face titled "Bacchus" is Atelier Hines Almy's flamboyant yet refined statement. This, contrasted with Elizabeth Hanemann's "The Thing That Lives Under My Bed (Which Is More Like Me Than I Want To Admit)," makes for a diverse exhibit. Hanemann's turtle-like head with worn fake fur and plastic eyes assumes an amusingly earnest expression with the addition of a wax casting of the artist's nose and mouth. The eye sockets of Judy Condon's charred-looking ceramic head serve to frame fingers of hands that are seemingly thrust behind a layer of skin. Similarly spooky and intriguing is the fictitious Albert James Lyster's "Pooky," a dog mask constructed from a cereal box with empty tube-shaped snout and eyes.

Says Fox, "I actually think this is the strongest show we've ever had. All the pieces are well thought-out and well-crafted. There aren't any weak links." Certainly Eun Lee's "Boy Mask" with its gleaming sequins on paper is no slouchy effort. Nor is Timothy Massey's "Facade," a woodcut print of a flustered man, obscured by a layer of acrylic featuring a cartoony "Keep Smiling" dog face. UT professors Marcia Goldenstein, Tom Riesing, and F. Clark Stewart deliver, as always, with their respective "Pin Head," "Winter Woody," and "Feline Metaphor." And Kimberly Owenby's strips of black leather fringed with toothpicks is, quite simply, a knock-out.

Fox and I discussed the National Endowment for the Arts' possible demise and agree that supporting groups like Community Shares might become even more important. Given that NPR and PBS require a mere $1.12 per year from each taxpayer (with the NEA constituting less of an expense at 64 cents annually), abolishing the NEA would be a crime. Fox remarks, "I'm extraordinarily concerned...art is part of our culture. A lot of what we appreciate about history has to do with the arts, and we are poised to really shoot ourselves in the foot. The 1 percent or so in taxes that's already been cut back has little to do with individuals like Robert Mapplethorpe...people forget the broader view that we need freedom of expression. The NEA could be wiped out and people won't even be paying attention." To sign a petition in favor of continued NEA funding, send an email to [email protected].

As for the mask show, Fox says, "Now and in the future, I'd like to see more of the masks sell." Interested parties may contact her via email at [email protected] or call 974-7787 (daytime) or 691-1710 (evening). Community Shares' phone number is 522-1604. If you don't purchase a mask this year, at least check out the exhibit in its remaining nine days. You'll be glad you did.