The Bubbler, in collaboration with the Neighborhood Intervention Program and FauHaus, presents an art exhibition by Madison youth. MASK OFF brought together UW-Madison staff, Teen Bubbler, and teenagers of greater Madison to celebrate identity, alter egos, and human complexity. Based on 15 weeks of workshops with diverse artists, the project emphasized the multivocality and diversity of the youth who are often at the forefront of the nation’s friction. The art, made by the youth, tells stories about the multiple facettes of self-imagination versus determination by society. The alter egos that the teens developed reflect upon their adaptation to challenges encountered in their environment.
MASK OFF is a permanent installation at the Neighborhood Intervention Program headquarters in Madison, WI.
Thank you FAISAL ABDU'ALLAH and the many other artists, educators, activists and funders who made this exhibit possible, including:
Marta-Laura Suska
Carlos Gacharna
Jessi Salgado
Richard Jones, Jr.
Carlee Latimer
Rob "Rob Dz" Franklin
Elizabeth Jean Younce
Teddy Benson
Janice Havlena
Trent Miller
Neighborhood Intervention Program
Buraka Ethiopian Cuisine
Jamerica Caribbean Restaurant
Cress Spring Bakery
Willy St. Coop
Madison Graphics
Madison Public Library Foundation
UW Arts Institute
UW Center for the Humanities
Madison Arts Commission
Magic Pebble Foundation
Scooter Software
The Art
The many individual projects the group tackled throughout the semester were tied together with an underlying theme of alter-egos and the layers of masks people wear depending on the circumstances and audience.
Mask Pose
The individual mask poses were photographed by their peers. This was the culmination of several workshops capped with a photography session led by community partner and program leader, Faisal Abdu'Allah.
Exhibit Tour
MASK OFF exhibit walk through in super fast motion.
Pattern Design
Carlos Gacharna led pattern design sessions with a specific focus and history lesson on the how patterns have been spread throughout the world through the African Diaspora.
Screen Prints
Group leader, Faisal Abdu'Allah, provided access to the UW Madison screen printing lab in order for students to learn how to print their final images.
Pizza
Group Leader and Anthropologist, Marta-Laura Suska, took the group to the community kitchen at Willy Street Coop to lay down some groundwork in study of other cultures with a link to the things people eat and the act of preparing food.
Ecosystems
Art Therapy student and Bubbler intern, Jessi Salgado, invited the group to Edgewood College for a walk around campus in search of leaves used to frame and print personal messages.
Stop Motion Animation
Fresh off naming the exhibition the week prior, the group was led through an animation workshop by Teen Services Librarian, Jesse Vieau.
NIP Headquarters
The MASK OFF teen art exhibition and party went down at the Neighborhood Intervention Program (NIP) headquarters on Madison's north side. Family, friends and neighbors celebrated the culmination of the semester-long project with a night of art, food, music, screen printing and a few great spoken word pieces.
MASK OFF is now a permanent installation inside the NIP office building.
