Masked: Wearable Felted Sculptures
Instructor: Nastassja Swift
Saturday, April 18
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Across the globe, varying cultural traditions and ceremonies involve, and are oftentimes centered around, the making of and performance in a heavenly embellished and ornate mask. Masks can conceal one’s identity, channel the presence of another being or entity, or simply protect its wearer. In this workshop, we’ll delve into the art of sculptural mask making, creating our very own performance mask with wool. We’ll go through the process of needle felting and learn three-dimensional techniques to build an object suitable to be worn, imagining the many ways it can be brought to life.
Age range: Middle and High School.
All supplies will be provided by the instructor.
This program has been organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is funded, in part, by the Paul Mellon Endowment and the Jean Stafford Camp Memorial Fund.
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Nastassja Swift is a multidisciplinary artist holding a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2022, she was selected as a Distinguished Fellow at the Penland School of Craft. She was commissioned by the SCAD Museum of Art in the spring of 2023 to perform “Turning Seeds,” a collaborative and site-specific masked performance. Nastassja has been selected for a Public Arts Commission in Richmond, VA, and is the recent recipient of the Center for Craft: Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship, a VMFA Fellowship, a Dr. Doris Derby Award, an Art Matters Fellowship Award, and a Virginia Commission of the Arts Fellowship. Nastassja has participated in several national and international residencies and exhibitions, including a solo exhibition in Doha, Qatar in 2016, NADA Miami, The Urban Institute of Contemporary Art in Michigan, and fellowships at the Vermont Studio Center, SPACES, and MASS MoCA. Nastassja is currently living and working in Virginia.