This exhibition was funded in part by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and the County of San Diego Community Enhancement Program.
This exhibition presented masks from 20 countries throughout the world — from Indonesia, Japan and Korea, to the Islands of the South Pacific, to various countries of Africa. They came from Mingei International Museum's permanent collection, the San Diego Museum of Man, the Chinese Association of San Diego and private collections.
Made from a great variety of materials, including wood, _papier maché,_ clay, fiber, straw and beads, masks depict myriad aspects of life and answer a human need to conceal as well as amplify emotions. They are strongly expressive art forms in all cultures, from the so-called primitive to those considered the most sophisticated, and are used in initiation, healing and death rites, mythic story telling and religious ceremonies, theater and masquerade balls. Related films accompanied the exhibition.