Unmasking the Mask

On Dec. 18th 2020, Twirl in collaboration with the Taos Center for the Arts screened a virtual event - Unmasking The Mask - to share the Mask Gathering project with the whole community. Hosted by Amber Vasquez and Liana Bayles of Twirl, the event featured interviews and artistic performances from a wonderful lineup of local artists and collaborators as well as masks made by the Taos community. You can watch this event here.

Unmasking the Mask takes us on a journey down the various Mask Explorations for a fascinating look at how humans have engaged with masks culturally, theatrically, practically and socially throughout history. The performance includes artistic expressions of mask wearing through performances and presentations from artists and Twirl community collaborators, taking a journey through the various Mask Explorations from the Mask Gathering (twirltaos.org/mask-gathering). The event is a true community collaboration thanks to the artists and participants listed below.

Funded in part by The National Endowment for the Humanities and the Taos Community Foundation.

Bios

See Bio photos below

AMBER VASQUEZ THOMAS is a former professional dancer and studio owner who now works as a community Integrative arts specialist for Twirl in Taos, NM.

LIANA BALDONADO BAYLES is a former public school teacher who now works as a community creative arts educator for Twirl in Taos NM. 

KIKI LOVE PRODUCTIONS Kiki Shakti founded Kiki Love Productions in 2014. The acronym for L.O.V.E. is the Liberation from Oppression and Violence Everywhere, and is the guiding principle of Kiki’s work, both local and international. Find out more: www.kikiloveproductions.com

THE MUSEUM OF INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART is located in Santa Fe and is one of New Mexico's most popular museums and has gained national and international recognition as home to the world's largest collection of folk art. The extraordinary collection of some 150,000 artifacts from more than 150 nations forms the basis for exhibitions and continues to grow according to the belief that through the traditional arts, we may illuminate human creativity and shape a humane world.

SOMOS YOUNG WRITERS PROGRAM The Young Writers Program (YWP) was inaugurated in 1992 to provide a creative, stimulating, and nurturing environment to encourage young writers, ages twelve to eighteen, to express themselves through spoken and written words. It offers classes and workshops to community organizations for at-risk youth, writing groups and workshops; an annual Young Writers Night, and grows an appreciation of the written word with numerous community partners. The Young Writers Program continues to pair students with adult writing mentors. For More information visit: https://somostaos.org/

ILANA WEISFELD - Young poet

EMILY ROBERTSON - Young poet

JULIA EDMONDS - Young poet

ESTELLE LAURE has lived in Taos off and on since 1989 and is proud to have attended Taos High School. She has a Masters in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a BA in Theatre Arts from New Mexico State University. She is the author of books for young adults and picture books, including This Raging Light and Disney’s City of Villains series. Additionally, she has been a content and developmental editor for Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management since 2012, is a writing coach for KN Literary, and is an educator at Taos Academy Charter School.

BRE MESSEROLE is an educator based in Taos, NM. She is is a 10th Grade Adviser, 504 and SAT Coordinator

IZUMI YOKOYAMA is a multi-media artist who lives and works in Taos, New Mexico. Born in Niigata, Japan, in 1980, Yokoyama graduated with an MFA from San Francisco Art Institute. Yokoyama's artworks are presented locally and nationally. Birds of Appetite: Alchemy & Apparition, a 2019 exhibition which featured her work at the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, NM, received critical accolades. Her current and upcoming projects range from book illustrations to a large-scale community mural to a haunting installation. She is thrilled to return to the Harwood Museum this summer for a juried exhibition: Contemporary Art Taos 2020.

PEÑASCO THEATER: Alessandra Ogren is a director, choreographer, accomplished aerialist, visual artist, lightning designer, actress, dancer and teacher with extensive experience in many aspects of the performing arts.  Alessandra is a co-founder and former co-artistic director of Wise Fool New Mexico, a community-based performance company incorporating circus arts into visual theatre. Alessandra teaches circus arts in the US and Internationally, she is a PISD District Art teacher. Penasco Theater Students- Ashley Madrid, Kaylee Madrid, Dasia Calabaza, Alyssa Calabaza, Esperanza Martinez, Xavier Noll, Elias Noll.  Micheal Noll - is the Penasco Community School coordinator.

TAOS ONSTAGE Established in 2013, Taos Onstage is a 501c3 nonprofit community theatre made possible solely through the efforts of volunteers. The mission of Taos Onstage is to provide quality theatre experiences for the residents of Taos County, New Mexico and the surrounding region. Taos Onstage is committed to providing opportunities for community members to develop talents in all aspects of theatre arts as it strives to become a significant cultural asset for the community.

CHARLOTTE KEEFE Charlotte has a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts, a Master’s in Deaf Education and a Doctorate in Special Education. She retired as a Professor of Special Education from Texas Woman’s University. She began acting at the age of four in backyard plays with her brother and cousins and continued acting in elementary school, junior high, high school, college and community theatre. She is a co-founder of three community theatres, including Taos Onstage. For Taos Onstage she has performed in and directed numerous plays. In addition, she wrote and performed the one-woman play, If A Door Opens: A Journey with Frances Perkins that has been performed in New Mexico and Texas as well as for The National New Deal Preservation Association.

RITA O’CONNELL is a performer, writer, and producer of things. She has been kicking around Taos since 2007. Rita holds an MA in Public Advocacy and Activism from the National University of Ireland, Galway. She works with nonprofits and individuals to advance creative, grassroots changemaking efforts, and she writes a lot of grants. A co-founder of KNCE 93.5FM, LiveTaos.com, and Curling Iron Productions, she believes deeply in the power of the creative community here in Taos.

DANCEWORX is a collaborative Semi Professional Dance experience based in Taos, New Mexico. DanceWorx specializes in integrating dance into Science, Math and Art. They have collaborated with The Paseo, Santa Fe Children's Museum, Los Alamos Science Fest, Twirl Taos  and The Taos Municipal schools bringing science and math alive to audiences.

KATHLEEN A. ROGERS, DMD is a general dentist in Taos, New Mexico. She received her Doctorate of Medical Dentistry from Boston University Henry M Goldman School of Dental Medicine. She did graduate work in biological sciences at New York University and earned a BS in biological sciences from State University of New York Stony Brook. She currently owns and runs Taos Family Dentistry, where she practices family general dentistry for all ages, with an emphasis on children’s dental care. She has been a college faculty member, mentor and guest speaker for all ages from preschool through higher education.

NICOLE MARIE LlOYD-RONNING received her B.A. in Physics from Cornell University. She Earned her PH.D. in physics from Stanford University. Her expertise is in high energy astrophysics, with a focus on gamma-ray bursts.  Some of her work is devoted to using gamma-ray bursts as cosmological tools, but the majority involves understanding their intrinsic properties - their emission mechanisms, particle acceleration processes, and the nature of their inner engine. She is heavily involved in public scientific outreach. she leads the outreach effort at the Center for Theoretical Astrophysics at LANL, developing a variety of programs and regularly visiting schools throughout northern New Mexico to do hands-on physics experiments with students. She runs a UNM-LA Community Education class on modern astrophysics, and has helped develop the curriculum and a mentorship program for an astronomy class at Los Alamos Middle School, occasionally she gives planetarium shows at the PEEC, and participates in the Bradbury's Scientist Ambassador program. She is on the faculty at University of New Mexico, Los Alamos where she teaches a variety of physics classes for undergraduates. She most recently received the UNM LA Faculty Initiative Award and the LANL Distinguished Mentor Award.

MARTIN ROAQUE Martin Neddo- Roaque a Native Taoseno is a lifelong musician who always knew he wanted to hone his skills as a musician and still does. A recent graduate from New Mexico Highlands University with a B.F.A in Music Production, Martin never gave up on getting a music degree that took him 13 years to complete. He has worked as a sound designer and audio engineer with Eastern New Mexico Theatre department, and the Taos Community Auditorium. Martin’s music writing and composing style are like film compositions, why this is he says are that he likes to tell a story and to transport each person on a journey. The forces that drive his passion and artistry are his family and his faith with such things he paints with a stroke of a musical note and colors with the palate of his imagination.

AMY MCCONNELL FRANKLIN has been a student, teacher, trainer, researcher and author in the field of emotional intelligence (EQ) and social and emotional learning, (SEL) since 2000. Amy was raised in Santa Fe and returned to NM in 2000 with her husband and 4 young children to settle in Taos after almost thirty years in other parts of the USA and abroad – mostly in Latin America and Africa.  As a newly minted Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a background in public health, Amy quickly recognized the need to systematically and preventively teach pro-social and emotion- related skills to children, families and educators in order to build the capacity to make accountable and compassionate decisions, and create more mutually respectful relationships. She was very grateful to stumble into the relatively new and rapidly growing fields of EQ and SEL. Amy feels it was a distinct privilege and happy circumstance to be able to co-create customized curricula and training programs that are relevant to the unique cultural, socio-economic richness of NM. Working with local educators and human service agencies for the past almost 20 years, persistently informed by reliable input from internationally recognized leaders in  SEL and EQ, we have co-created a toolkit of  foundational concepts and skills to fortify emotional wellbeing and mental health and build resilience in the face of inevitable challenges, adversity and uncertainty. Learning to intentionally create positive emotional climates in families and classrooms and generate positive childhood experiences requires self awareness, self regulation, and clarity of purpose in the adults in children’s lives. By teaching and modeling these skills we can develop resiliency, empathy, flexible problem solving skills, and intrinsic motivation in children, youth and families. These are essential skills whether we are facing the unfamiliar or we are facing critical needs. Amy is grateful for the opportunity to learn with everyone who is directly serving the needs of the children and families in communities across the state in this historically unique time.

JOHN BISCELLO Originally from Brooklyn, NY, novelist, poet, performer, and playwright, John Biscello, has called Taos, New Mexico home since 2001. He is the author of three novels: Broken Land, Raking the Dust, and Nocturne Variations; two books of poetry, Arclight and Moonglow on Mercy Street; and an adaptation of classic folk tales, Once Upon a Time: Classic Folktales Reimagined. The Jackdaw and the Doll, a fable he wrote which was illustrated by Izumi Yokoyama, and a collection of his plays, Arson & Grace, are both scheduled for publication in early 2021.  Synopsis of John’s novel, The Last Furies: In this lyrical and speculative mosaic novel, enter the fractured worlds of an actress, playwright, and immortal poet, whose legend and influence create an energetic web, equal parts love triangle and haunted house of mirrors. At the bated edge of dream and revelation, spanning New York, Mexico, and a twilight Bardo realm, each of the characters—Viola, Evie and Arturo—undertake metamorphic journeys through the interior hinterlands of the psyche, in their quest for home and spiritual reckoning. Mythology, pop culture, cinema, theater, and sorcery dwell in the multi-chambered heart of the mutable narrative, which includes Joan of Arc, a teenage suicide cult, the Arcana of the Tarot, vaudeville remixes, shamanic alchemy, and a mystical radio whose bandwidth covers all of time, space and history. Re-seed your sense of wonder and the marvelous, as you step into the shadowy labyrinth that is The Last Furies. 

LESLIE WARNICK Leslie Warnick is the K-8 Art Education Coordinator at Anansi Charter School in Taos, New Mexico. She is in her second year of studies towards her MA in Art Education. She lived in Latin America for fourteen years in Mexico, Nicaragua, and Argentina and is fluent in Spanish. She is a puppeteer, puppet maker, and story writer. While living in Mexico she investigated a variety of creative disciplines at Escuela Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende, where she discovered her love for puppetry. Leslie and her family have been in Taos for ten years. She has a fifteen-year-old daughter who is a visual arts student at NMSA in Santa Fe. Her son is a junior at Taos High and is a talented photographer, designer, and actor. She has been married for twenty-two years and met her husband while living in Mexico. She has a passion for travel and experiencing the beauty and diversity of other cultures and her dream is to teach art abroad someday.Find more at her website https://mianimamundi.wixsite.com/puppetry

ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS has Teaches students ages 3-adult several different forms of dance, exercise and folk dance. It offers voice lessons and acting classes for children and has a pre professional ballet program for young adults ages 12-18. The Studio has been in existence in Taos for the past 15 years, and is known as a champion for the Arts in the Taos Community.

KATHLEEN (KATIE) MARTIN is the Director of the Academy of Performing Arts. Her passion for dance education sparked amidst her 10-year professional ballet career. Katie dance between companies including Ballet West, Ballet Idaho, Ballet San Antonio, and A.V.A Ballet Theater earning principal roles and responsibilities and leading dancers on and off the stage. After retiring from the stage, Kathleen dove into teaching and dance education. While traveling in Peru, she completed her 200+ hour yoga training certificate. Katie finds joy by aiding young dancers and helping them to reach their goals. In her free time, Ms. Martin loves hiking, yoga, Epsom salt baths, and being with her dog.

CHRISTINA SPORRONG is an artist and metal sculptor based out of Taos, New Mexico. She was born in Sweden and raised all over the world but abandoned city life to live in the high mountain desert. Sporrong established Spitfire Forge, her own commercial blacksmithing and fabrication shop in 1996. She teaches national welding and blacksmithing workshops to women as a means to empower women and to de-mystify the process of working with metal, as well as welding classes at the University of New Mexico.

ILAN O’DONNELL is a local student at Roots and Wings, who lives here in Taos.

OTTO VAN WILLIGEN is a senior at Taos High School.

SOLID PAINTERS is a full service painting company working with residential and commercial clients to achieve high quality results. Out of Pittsburgh PA.

MAX MOULTON was born and raised in Dixon. Although he attempted to escape to the big city, he eventually succumbed to his deep appreciation of small communities and returned to New Mexico in 2006. He is a musician who plays in many local bands; co-owner of Gizmo Productions, a web development and marketing company; a founding member of KNCE True Taos Radio; and he helped develop LiveTaos.com. His kitchen counter is usually dusted in flour, his house is a chaotic hub of constant creation, and his car is always a mess, but he’s OK with it because he gets to play music, fly fish, climb, ski, cook, bake, garden, adventure, tinker, and create.

KEVYN GILBERT is a lover of music and co-founder of Live Taos. His fondest memories are those of warm summer evenings drinking with his kittens.

THANKS TO:

TAOS FIRE STATION #2

HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL for sharing images with us.

TAOS URGENT CARE for sharing images with us.

COSTUME AND MASK ARTISTS

NINA SILFVERBERG Costume design and masks for: Rita O’Connell, Amber Vasquez Thomas and Kathleen Martin www.ninasilfverberg.com. Nina’s fiber art, costume and set designs have been seen from Edinburgh to Stockholm, from Helsinki to California and numerous stages in between. Nina also loves being an Ambassador of Creativity and is the Public Programs Manager for Twirl.

ANAIS RUMFELT is an artist and Marketing Director for Twirl.

NIKKI ROSS is the Executive Director of Twirl, wearer of many hats and faces.