Face to Face with Masks from the Museum Collections

April 29, 2011 - February 19, 2012

Masks have been part of the human experience throughout recorded history.

In almost every culture, age, and inhabited region of the world, masks have been used to mark important changes in our personal status and to protect us from forces larger than ourselves. 

Visit Virtual Experience: Face to Face to engage in the displays and messages of this exhibit.

Cosponsored by the UO Anthropology, Art History, and Ethnic Studies departments, the Oregon Humanities Center, and the College of Arts and Sciences, this exhibit features traditional masks from the museum’s North American, African, and Oceanic collections— including many that have never before been displayed. Contemplate the function of masks in societies, create your own mask, and take home a souvenir photo.

Visit the Native American Masks of the Northwest Coast and Alaska web gallery to see some of the masks in the Museum's collections from home.