The Woman Behind the Mask
Art prof finds unique niche in mask making
Assistant Professor Claire Goodfellow knows a thing or two about disguises. The artist has made over 30 masks since her mask-making career began just over two years ago. Inspired by a guest speaker and mask maker she brought to one of her classes, Claire immediately fell in love with the art form. Her passion has taken her to Florence, Italy, where she studied under the tutelage of Italian mask maker Caterina Balletti. Having received funding from the Social Sciences Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Goodfellow is not only interested in the mask as an art form but she also teaches education majors in her classes how the mask can be used as a tool for storytelling, readers’ theatre, and classic theatre.
Goodfellow’s art is being noticed. Her mask, Scarlet Ibis, has been on exhibit at the Surrey Art Gallery, and she was recently commissioned to design and build 18 masks for a production at California’s Azusa Pacific University.
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