The past several months have confronted us with challenges - both personal and collective - on an unprecedented scale. We have been faced with things we could have never imagined, and faced them back with aspects of self we never knew were there.
In this 2-hour bilingual workshop, we will reflect on the power, strength, and resilience of our own personal and cultural stories to create our very own Kolyada masks to bring shape to the facets of ourselves we may not be able to put into words, or not know how to bring out into the open. The workshop will be taught in English and Ukrainian.
One of the greatest powers of creating a symbolic object like a mask is that it allows us to explore emotions and experiences in community without sharing details that may be too difficult to reveal in front of others. Playing with a mask opens up healing opportunities to lay aside the identity that we inhabit day-to-day to discover new ways to grieve, release, connect, an play with ourselves and each other.
ABOUT KOLYADA
Kolyada is a Slavic tradition of celebrating the winter solstice through costume, performance, food, and public ritual. Various forms of Kolyada celebrations can be found throughout Croatia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Poland, and many other parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
IN THIS WORKSHOP WE WILL
+ Talk about the history and tradition of the Kolyada masks and the power of ritual masks in other cultures
+ Go over various meanings and associations of different Kolyada characters (and brainstorm your own!)
+ Cover the basics of mask construction, safety, and comfort
+ Introduce you to working with a range of different materials, such as wood, cloth, leather, etc
+ Guide you in creating a mask that is uniquely special and powerful to you
Peering deep into the magic and wisdom of the coming winter season, we will ask:
How do we release what doesn’t serve us?
How do we confront the monstrous with courage and wisdom?
And most importantly - what strength, joy and hope can we find when we look beyond the fear?
This workshop is open to all levels of makers and crafters. All tools and materials will be provided. Participants of the October workshop are enthusiastically welcome to wear their masks as part of Fool House Art Collective’s Kolyada Festival in January of 2023.