Collections Item Detail

Color photos, 66, of Vejigante Mask Maskers exhibition at the HHM, July 10 + 30, Aug. 8 & Sept. 25, 2006.

Photograph

DescriptionColor photographs, sixty-six, of Vejigante Mask Maskers exhibition at the Hoboken Historical Museum, July 10 + 30, August 8 & September 25, 2006. Digital images only, Photos taken by Robert Foster. Identification of individuals not yet available. Archived on disk. Image caption numbers are camera file image numbers and are not continuous. The exhibit, on view from July 30 to September 24 (it was scheduled to end September 17th but was extended one week), is seen as it was being dismounted on September 25th in 15 images captioned 0071-0083. Thirty-three close-ups taken July 10th (for general identification purposes not documentation) of various masks followed those images and are captioned 0025 to 0057. Images taken on July 10 & 30 follow this group and are numbered 0144 to 0151.They are followed by a group from August 8 which are 0100-0118. The masks were from the workshops led by Ray Guzman for creating paper-mache vejigante masks (see notes for background on this style of mask.) The images for all days of the workshop, exhibits and related events are photo catalogue 2006.024.0003 to .0009.

Entry/Object ID

2006.024.0009

Acquisition

Accession

2006.024

Source or Donor

Foster, Robert

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of Robert Foster.

Made/Created

Artist

Foster, Robert

Date made

2006 - 2006

Place

Location

Hoboken

Notes

Date: 2006-2006

General Notes

Note

Notes: From The Vejigante and the Folk Festivals of Puerto Rico By Edwin Fontánez © 1996. Text below from exhibit of the masks in August-September 2006. ________________ The Vejigante (bay-he-GAHN-tay) is a fantastic, colorful character introduced into carnival celebrations hundreds of years ago. He is a classic example of the blending of African, Spanish, and Caribbean influences in Puerto Rican culture. During the carnival celebrations in Loiza Aldea and Ponce, the Vejigantes roam the streets in groups and chase children with their vejigas. The Vejigante is such an old character that he is even mentioned in the classic novel Don Quixote, written in 1605. Carnival in Ponce (pawn-say), a major city in the south, begins February 2 on "Dia de la Candelaria" (Day of the Bonfire). The masks are are characterized by their elaborate construction. Most are made of papier-mâché (shredded newspapers) and adorned with many horns and bells. The masks can be as big and elaborate as the artist's imagination. Commonly, they have a demonic or devilish appearance, but others resemble fantastic animals. __________________ The masks were made at the Hoboken Historical Museum during May and June of 2006. The mask-making classes were conducted by artist Ray Guzman with more than 25 children and parents participating. The mask starts with a balloon, then papier-mâché is applied over it along with horns and facial features before a final application of acrylic paint. Most who attended came to all four workshops and demonstrated a strong commitment to the project and created these incredible masks. The Museum wishes to thank artist Ray Guzman for teaching the classes, and a special thanks to both Tom Olivieri and Museum Trustee Inéz Garcia-Kiem for their advice and support. The project was funded by the Hudson County Office of Cultural Affairs, Tom DeGise, County Executive. Original or Copy: Digital copy Status: OK Status By: dw Status Date: 2006-11-28