The Museum of Art Fort Collins is looking beyond last year’s restrictions, due to COVID 19, and will open to the public to view the 17th annual Masks Exhibition and Fundraiser in the museum and online, April 16 – June 20.
The 17th Annual Eye Center of Northern Colorado Masks Exhibition and Fundraiser offers two ways to view the masks: in the museum and through an online auction at https://app.bidcoz.com/moafc/masks2021 . Online bidding begins April 16th to the general public.
Masks artists, exhibition title sponsor, the Eye Center of Northern Colorado, and long-time sponsors, donors, mask buyers and visitors have supported the museum’s mission to make this creative community event such a success over the past 17 years.
Lisa Hatchadoorian, executive director of MoA, says, “How does the Museum in 2021 use its mission: to spread the power of art to deepen understanding of what’s before and beyond us as individuals, community members, citizens of our country and the world.” She says the 17th Masks Exhibition and Fundraiser are a start in how it brings the community together through creativity and art. The annual exhibition is a crowd favorite that over the years has raised more than $1.7 million dollars to support the museum’s mission.
During that time, Masks artists, most of whom live in Northern Colorado, have designed and donated more than 2,750 masks. Each year brings new perspectives as the unadorned ceramic forms leave the museum and return as a creative collection of unique masks.
Professional artists, whose creativity is their economic mainstay, and recreational artists, who respond to their need to express their creativeness in ingenious styles, have created 219 masks for the 2021 Masks Exhibition and Fundraiser.
“The annual Masks Exhibition and Auction is community-based,” says Hatchadoorian. “People love seeing the diversity of the masks designed and donated by professional artists, who make their living through art, and community artists who explore their creative side.”
Major Support for Masks comes from our title sponsor: Eye Center of Northern Colorado. Dedicated support also comes from Dr. Peter Springberg, The Youth Clinic, Blue Federal Credit Union, Water Pik and RE/MAX Advanced, Inc.
COVID Adjustments: Currently, we are not requiring sign ups at this time. We will move to a capacity of 50 people at a time for the Masks exhibition depending on Larimer County guidelines and masks are mandatory for all inside the museum.