The identity masks are ways for us as students to explore the artist outlook. Through making masks that define and display our lives and characteristics we are forced to understand the outside perspective of our personal lives. The masks should showcase things we care for and describe us as artists, students, and humans.
Completing my mask project helped me understand how art gives New Yorkers a way to express who they are in a city full of different cultures, backgrounds, and stories. By decorating a simple white mask with symbols from my own life, I saw how art can turn personal experiences into something visible and shareable. It is just like the murals, performances, and community projects we see all over New York. It showed me that art isn’t just about creating something pretty rather it’s also a tool people use to communicate identity, connect with others, and build a sense of community. In that way, my project reflected how New Yorkers use art every day to represent themselves and to understand one another in such a diverse and busy city.
