Bid to win this Recycled Plague Doctor MasquerAID Mask by Karin Rabe MasquerAID!
Artist: Karin Rabe
Title: "Recycled Plague Doctor Mask" MasquerAID Mask
Year created: 2020
Medium: Mixed-Media
Height (inches): 1
Width (inches): 1
Depth (inches): 1
Description of piece:
This mask was inspired by both the masks that plague doctors wore in the 17th century and the masks we’re all making to protect ourselves from COVID-19. It’s a modern take featuring quilted fabric instead of leather, and a fun red and black print. And as far as masks go, these are incredibly easy to breathe in since there’s so much room in the beak area. It can also be made as fragrant as the original plague masks by placing a little fabric infused with essential oils into the beak. I’m a big fan of zero waste crafting so this piece was made from assorted scraps and bits I found around my house. The outer fabric, a 100% Dutch wax batik cotton, was originally chosen by Constance Hoffman for the coat worn by the fearful Captain Hook in the Alley Theatre’s 2010 production of Peter Pan, while the inner fabric is from an unused 100% cotton pillowcase. The other pieces include hardware leftovers from some quilted bags, scraps of cotton quilt batting, extra plastic curtain grommets, and lenses from a broken pair of sunglasses. As a bonus, the scraps from this mask have gone into a pile of fabric scraps to make pillow forms!
Artist bio:
Karin is a lifelong lover of theatre, the arts, reading, kittens, puppies, baking, quilting, and crafting, in no particular order. She was born in Scotland, primarily grew up in Florida, has lived in a countless number of other places and now calls Houston home. She aims to have a little bit of fun at work every day while creating a multitude of different environments for the actors, directors and designers she works with. She has been the Properties Master at the Alley for over 16 years where she managed the prop shop for over 175 different productions. Prior to the Alley, she was the Properties Master at Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo, NY and at Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell, MA. She also spent 3 summers at the Santa Fe Opera, first as an Artisan Apprentice and then as the Prop Shop Assistant. When she's not propping or set dressing shows, she's baking tasty treats for the Alley staff and company. She occasionally dabbles in the world of scenic design.
MasquerAID is a fundraising effort from Costume Professionals for Wage Equity and features artists that have been hard at work creating one-of-a-kind works of art for you to take home! Own a piece of theatre history and help the many entertainment workers who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.