MAKE A MASK

Year Published: 1960s

Creator: Elias Katz

Color: B&W

Sound: silent

Description: "Make a Mask" is a silent 16mm, black and white step-by-step demonstration of the making of a papier-maché mask. It probably dates to the 1960s. It was photographed and directed by Elias Katz and demonstrated by his wife Florence Ludins. The film opens with a materials list of water, grease, paste, clay, and torn paper. Florence Ludins-Katz and Elias Katz were the founders of the organization known as Creative Growth Art in their garage in Berkeley. Ludins-Katz was an artist and Katz was a psychologist. Creative Growth Art Center still exists; it is a nonprofit arts organization, based in Oakland, California, that provides studios, supplies, and gallery space to artists with developmental, mental, and physical disabilities. It is one of the oldest and largest art center for people with disabilities in the world. :27 the materials are laid out on a table and labeled. :57 title card: “Make the clay base.” 01:03 The artist Florence Ludins pulls chunks from a clay pile and begins molding a basic oval shape. She adds basic shapes of nose and eye sockets. She adds basic eyebrow shapes over the eye and deep depresses eye sockets with her thumb. 03:09 She adds strips of clay to form a protruding mouth. 03:35 title card: “Grease the clay base, so that the first layer of paper will not stick to the clay base.” 03:41 The artist opens a jar of grease and smears the grease over the entire clay mold including inside the eye sockets. 04:15 Title card: “Apply the first layer of torn paper.” 04:20 The artist takes strips of torn paper from a pile, dips each strip in water and applies the strips in horizontal rows to the entire mask following the contours of the mouth, nose, and eyes. 05:39 Title card: “Apply the paste over the first layer of paper.” 05:44 The arts dips her fingers in a jar of paste and smears paste over the entire mask. 05:56 Title card: “The second layer of torn paper.” 06:00 A second layer of strips of paper is laid onto the mask, vertically this time, following the contours of the mouth, nose, and eyes. 06:33 Title card: “Paste over the second layer.” 06:36 Using her fingers, the artist applies paste over the entire mask, following its contours. 07:02 Title card: “Third layer.” 07:05 A third layer of torn paper is applied horizontally. 07:11 Title card: “This continues for at least five layers.” 07:14 The artist continues applying strips of torn paper horizontally over the entire mask. 07:50 Title card: “Allow the layers of paper and paste to dry thoroughly on the clay base.” and we see a shot of the mask drying. 07:58 Title card: “Remove the paper mask from the clay base.” 08:03 The artist removes the paper mask from the clay base. 08:15 Title card: “Cut around the edge of the mask.” 08:19 Using scissors, the artist trims off the excess paper from the edges of the mask. 08:24 Title card: “Bind the edge of the mask with paste and paper.” 08:31 Using her fingers, the artist applies paste and a strips of torn paper to the edge of the mask. 08:50 Title card: “The mask is ready for painting.” 08:55 The mask is laid on a table next to a collection of brushes and jars of paint. The artist applies white paint first covering the entire mask surface. Using a finer brush she paints the mouth, the eye brows, the eye socket, and embellishes the edges of the eye brows and lips with ornamental designs in varying colors. She paints the nose with a broad strip down the middle, off set with trails along the outer sidewall and nasal base. She edges the periphery of the mask with a zig zag stripe. She extends the stripes on the sidewall of the nose across the cheeks. She adds stripes and a diamond shape to the forehead, and stripes to the chin. 11:04 The finished mask is presented, looking like an African Tribal Mask. When rotated we see the artist has added a wire so the mask can be hung on a wall. 11:24 Title card: “The End.”

Complete Record: "Make a Mask" is a silent 16mm, black and white step-by-step demonstration of the making of a papier-maché mask. It probably dates to the 1960s. It was photographed and directed by Elias Katz and demonstrated by his wife Florence Ludins. The film opens with a materials list of water, grease, paste, clay, and torn paper. Florence Ludins-Katz and Elias Katz were the founders of the organization known as Creative Growth Art in their garage in Berkeley. Ludins-Katz was an artist and Katz was a psychologist. Creative Growth Art Center still exists; it is a nonprofit arts organization, based in Oakland, California, that provides studios, supplies, and gallery space to artists with developmental, mental, and physical disabilities. It is one of the oldest and largest art center for people with disabilities in the world. :27 the materials are laid out on a table and labeled. :57 title card: “Make the clay base.” 01:03 The artist Florence Ludins pulls chunks from a clay pile and begins molding a basic oval shape. She adds basic shapes of nose and eye sockets. She adds basic eyebrow shapes over the eye and deep depresses eye sockets with her thumb. 03:09 She adds strips of clay to form a protruding mouth. 03:35 title card: “Grease the clay base, so that the first layer of paper will not stick to the clay base.” 03:41 The artist opens a jar of grease and smears the grease over the entire clay mold including inside the eye sockets. 04:15 Title card: “Apply the first layer of torn paper.” 04:20 The artist takes strips of torn paper from a pile, dips each strip in water and applies the strips in horizontal rows to the entire mask following the contours of the mouth, nose, and eyes. 05:39 Title card: “Apply the paste over the first layer of paper.” 05:44 The arts dips her fingers in a jar of paste and smears paste over the entire mask. 05:56 Title card: “The second layer of torn paper.” 06:00 A second layer of strips of paper is laid onto the mask, vertically this time, following the contours of the mouth, nose, and eyes. 06:33 Title card: “Paste over the second layer.” 06:36 Using her fingers, the artist applies paste over the entire mask, following its contours. 07:02 Title card: “Third layer.” 07:05 A third layer of torn paper is applied horizontally. 07:11 Title card: “This continues for at least five layers.” 07:14 The artist continues applying strips of torn paper horizontally over the entire mask. 07:50 Title card: “Allow the layers of paper and paste to dry thoroughly on the clay base.” and we see a shot of the mask drying. 07:58 Title card: “Remove the paper mask from the clay base.” 08:03 The artist removes the paper mask from the clay base. 08:15 Title card: “Cut around the edge of the mask.” 08:19 Using scissors, the artist trims off the excess paper from the edges of the mask. 08:24 Title card: “Bind the edge of the mask with paste and paper.” 08:31 Using her fingers, the artist applies paste and a strips of torn paper to the edge of the mask. 08:50 Title card: “The mask is ready for painting.” 08:55 The mask is laid on a table next to a collection of brushes and jars of paint. The artist applies white paint first covering the entire mask surface. Using a finer brush she paints the mouth, the eye brows, the eye socket, and embellishes the edges of the eye brows and lips with ornamental designs in varying colors. She paints the nose with a broad strip down the middle, off set with trails along the outer sidewall and nasal base. She edges the periphery of the mask with a zig zag stripe. She extends the stripes on the sidewall of the nose across the cheeks. She adds stripes and a diamond shape to the forehead, and stripes to the chin. 11:04 The finished mask is presented, looking like an African Tribal Mask. When rotated we see the artist has added a wire so the mask can be hung on a wall. 11:24 Title card: “The End.”