In response to the rapid shuttering of art galleries and museums to help slow the spread of COVID-19, First American Art Magazine launched a call for this virtual art exhibition. The Native art community has responded to this crisis with compassion, generosity, bravery, and hope. Through Masked Heroes, we want to celebrate the resilience of Indigenous peoples and help share the beauty that Native artists have created in the face of our shared crisis.

Seventy-three artists responded to our call for entries with 125 masks. Due to the unexpected numbers of entries, they are divided by subject matters into the themes of Abstraction, Four-Leggeds, From the Water, Plant World, Two-Leggeds, and Winged Beings.

While the masks in this exhibition need not be functional, many of them are. Many artists have gifted masks to healthcare works on the frontlines of this crisis.

FAAM introduced awards to this exhibition as a motivation to enter. We are pleased to announce that Howard La Fortune (Tsawout First Nation) won Best of Show with his Bear Snout, a carved cedar mask. Twenty-six editors, writers, advisors, and regional representatives of FAAM judged the entries. Author Stacy Pratt, PhD (Mvskoke), wrote, “Judging that was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life!” The vast number of excellent masks with such a broad range of styles and techniques made judging a challenge, and all of the artworks deserve recognition.

The magazine was founded with the goal of introducing the public to the widest possible range of Native artists, and we are delighted to showcase artists from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Artists provided their websites and social media links. If you want to contact any artists without links, you can email us and we will forward your email on to the artist. That way we can facilitate communication without compromising an artist’s privacy.

Facial masks will be part of our daily lives in the future. They help protect others. We hope this exhibition helps us embrace these protections. FAAM would like to thank every artist that shared their creations with us and every other mask maker who is helping the world become a safer place for all of us.

Exhibition Themes

Click on thumbnail to see the masks from a particular theme.

Artists by Name

Click on the title of artwork to see the image.

Award Winners

Click here or on the picture to see all the award winners together. Judging the photographs of masks was daunting considering how many incredible artworks are in this show. Some of the mask makers are professional artists and some are making functional masks and entering this virtual exhibition on a lark. FAAM appreciates you all!

This exhibition was sponsored and funded by First American Art Magazine and one generous member of our editorial advisory board. We would like to thank all the artists, judges, and mask makers everywhere. Wear your masks to protect your community and let’s strive for a safer, healthier future!

Links

The COVID-19 pandemic is hitting different Indigenous communities particularly hard. Some of the many groups who are helping Native communities include: