Missing Your Face

I have really missed seeing people. Even though I’m mostly introverted, I like making those in-person connections. Virtually communicating everything has been a lot to adjust to, and some things get left behind. Clearly, it’s been awhile since I wrote anything here—or kept my site up-to-date. As the pandemic is getting more under control, it’s exciting for me to break that pause with a show announcement!

From May 7 to July 3 of 2021, you can see a whole range of new work from myself and fellow mask maker Matt Fagan at the beautiful Art Center East galleries in La Grande, Oregon. The show is called MISSING YOUR FACE: Masks of Location, Isolation, and Transformation. If you’re in eastern Oregon, there will be live viewing possible (bring your own masks!) as well as virtual walkthrough experience for those further away.

Visit ACE’s website or check out my exhibition page to find out more!

Volunteers and Chewed paper

I’m looking for friendly volunteers who have an interest in making and a sensitivity to detail — and– who think it would be fun to do some papier-mâché in community with others. You’ll be helping make copies of some emotion masks for an upcoming art installation later this year.

Papier-Mâché Volunteer Hours

Seeking 3 to 4 hour commitment. Most days are 6 person limit.

Click –> here <– to claim a time!

Tuesday, March 26…………1-5 or 6-10
Thursday, March 28……….1-5 or 6-10
Saturday, March 30………..All Day

Sunday, March 31…………….12-4
Wednesday, April 3………….1-5 or 6-10
Friday, April 5…………………..All day
Saturday, April 6………………All day — FULL

Sunday, April 7………………….1-6 — FULL
Monday, April 8………………..1-9:30
Wednesday, April 10………..All day

Monday, April 15……………..5-9:30
Tuesday, April 16……………………..9-9 –FULL
Friday, April 19………………..9-6:30
Saturday, April 20…………………2:30-6:30
Sunday, April 21………….1-9

Friday, April 26…………….9-9
Saturday, April 27…………9-6
Sunday, April 28……………1-9

Tuesday, April 30………….9-9

ADDED DATE! Saturday, May 11………….9-6

Papiermâché (1753) from French papiermâché, literally “chewed paper,” from Old French papier “paper” + mâché “compressed, mashed”, from past participle of mâcher, literally “to chew,” from Late Latin masticare.

The Mask Maker

I’ve often found that people aren’t quite sure what I mean when I say I’m a mask maker. Chris Hatcher of Field Guide Films gives a terrific peek behind the curtains in this video.

[vimeo 215415561 w=640 h=360]

The Mask Maker from Chris Hatcher on Vimeo.

The masks I’m making here are for the production of The Spider Queen by The NOLA Project, directed by Jon Greene. This original play was inspired in part by the sculpture of a spider by Louise Bourgeois  in NOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden, where the play will be performed in May 2017.

spider1995
Louise Bourgeois, Spider, 1995, bronze; Besthoff Sculpture Garden, New Orleans. PHOTO: Celan Bouillet

 

Mask Making Workshop in Portland April 29–May 1

 

Hello all! I’ve been  blog-silent, but studio-busy…  It’s been a great year of building shows, creating mask pieces for museums, selling masks at Mardi Gras, and making connections with mask lovers, performers and teachers all over. I’m pleased to announce another mask making workshop in Portland. See details below.

—Tony

Design, sculpt, cast and paint your own mask!

Find new sources of creative inspiration, learn about the qualities that promote dynamic onstage play, and discover techniques for shaping a well-engineered character mask. You will leave the workshop with a plaster cast of your face and one painted mask.

“This workshop was really fun and informative, great for a beginner. I’d take it again- Tony is a great teacher!” — 2015 Mask Workshop Participant

WHO:

This workshop is excellent for actors and performers, costume designers and mask enthusiasts at all levels of experience. Ages 18+

WHEN:

6–10 pm Friday, April 29

10am–7 pm Saturday, April 30

10am–7 pm Sunday, May 1

There will be an hour lunch break on Saturday and Sunday

 

WHY:

Masks are awesome! Though they obscure part or all of the face, masks reveal so much more. Masks are powerful objects that inspire character and transform the people that wear them. They have a part in nearly every culture of the world, they show up in holidays like Halloween and Mardi Gras, and they are one of the original elements of theater as we know it today.

 

“I’d never realized the depth of faces before. I’ve started noticing expressions in a 3D way, and also the amazing contours of different faces… I now feel confident in trying my hand at making masks- before I would’ve ended up wasting tons of time trying to figure out the basic, and now I have a cast of my face and some good principles.”—2015 Mask Workshop Participant

 

WHERE:

The Mask Studio, NE Portland

 

TUITION:

$300. Cost for materials is included. A $50 non-refundable deposit is required upon registration. Check, PayPal, Square, Chase QuickPay accepted.

If you register by Monday, April 18, secure the early-bird price of $275.

 

TO ENROLL: Email me at tony_fuemmeler@yahoo.com for more information and with any questions about the workshop.

 

ABOUT TONY:

Over the past 13 years, Tony Fuemmeler has designed masks for multiple productions on the

West Coast and across the country. Locally, he has designed and built masks for productions like the Drammy Award-winning The Snowstorm (Many Hats), The King Stag (Lewis and Clark College), The Velvet Sky, The Adding Machine (Theatre Vertigo), The Storm in the Barn (Oregon Children’s Theatre), and Alice in Wonderland (Nomadic Theatre).

Tony began working with masks at the University of Kansas in a production of Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist. After graduation, he spent a year with In The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (Minneapolis), and then pursued further training with Bruce Marrs and Joan Schirle at the Dell’Arte International School (Blue Lake, California). In 2014, Tony traveled to Ubud, Bali, to study with master mask carver Nyoman Setiawan, and then to Mumbai, India as a volunteer mask maker for The Maya Project (a collaboration of Teach For India and Artists Striving to End Poverty). Tony is based in Portland, Oregon.

 

Web: www.tonyfuemmeler.com

Instagram: make_those_faces