I worked with the residents at Salem Lutheran Home, an Eden Alternative Care property in Oakland, on a project about identity and community. For the first stage of the project I made mask forms out of clay in conversation with the residents, and then I made plaster molds from those forms. I cast a several of each style of mask.<\/p>\n
In the second stage, we did workshops in which residents chose a mask and then used underglaze and transfer decals to illustrate their exterior and interior identities on the mask forms.<\/p>\n
In the final creation stage, we had a conversation in which each resident chose some themes that defined their lives: leadership, spirit, family, adventure, etc.<\/p>\n
I installed the masks in a tree on the property. All the adventure masks were joined by an adventure ribbon, the spirit by a spirit ribbon, etc. Finally, all the masks were joined by one long ribbon for the community at Salem.<\/p>\n
The piece was unveiled at an afternoon community celebration of art and jazz open to both Salem residents and their surrounding community.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The experience was intense and rewarding. As the guide for the project, I became intensely aware of the fragility of our identities and stories. Just like these masks, they have to be held gently; but also just like these masks, they have to risk a little damage in order to be seen in all their glory.<\/p>\n![\"Installed](\"http:\/\/www.djinnaya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Djinn_Masks-1.jpg\")
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