An Exhibit of Celebration and Understanding

by KELLY MILNER HALLS

hen the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture launched their new exhibit, “Dancing with Life: Mexican Masks,” the story it told was impactful. But the backstory of its exhibit designer, Dr. Pavel Shlossberg was just as engaging.

When the Gonzaga professor went to Michoacan, Mexico in the early 2000s, he hoped to study the impact of Internet cafes on the region’s ability to connect. He was in search of a dissertation topic to earn his doctorate in communications.

Studying the reach of email didn’t set him on fire, but he fell in love with the people he met in western central Mexico, brimming with heart and faith in their communities.

When he heard of a local community known for its mask arts not far from his temporary

Whome, he decided to visit. There, he found a slice of his own destiny in danza—the tradition of masked dance.

In Michoacan and other Mexican locations, professional and amateur musicians, choreographers and dancers partner with mask and costume makers to perform in city squares and community stages, during the festival season.

As brass instruments, strings, woodwinds and drums are engaged, the audiences are infused with energy. They know the masked dancers are telling stories. Some are as ancient as the birth of a Christian savior, others as new as the world’s most recent elections.

Shlossberg had encountered a vibrant form of communications, as his new dissertation topic came into focus.

For twenty plus years, Shlossberg traveled from the U.S. to Mexico to build a better under- standing of the art form. He also built lifelong friendships with the artisans of danza. So when the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture asked him to create, “Dancing with Life: Mexican Masks,” he was well prepared.

Fifty-four distinctive danza masks are artfully displayed, along with a grouping of full costumes in the lively exhibit, alongside video segments Shlossberg has captured during his ongoing studies in Mexico.

It would be easy to assume the danza is rooted in Mexico’s ancient history, but that assumption is off center. History contributes to the tradition, but it is as connected to the future as it is to the past. It celebrates the revelation of reinvention—one generation after another after another.

Masks most often carved out of wooden blocks were once colored with natural pigments. Today’s makers often use automotive paints because they are as bright and sturdy as the dance itself. Beaded costumes reflect a talent many decades in the making, but its sometimes paired with contemporary holiday tinsel and crepe paper.

Women are occasionally mask artists, but most dancers are men, by cultural habit. But a quiet evolution is in motion. Sisters can secretly stand-in for their brothers. Often in disguise for now, the girls of Mexico are claiming their place as dancers, too.

The annual events in Michoacans are celebrated community wide for only a few days. But preparation is ongoing, all year long. The danza is transformed by the passing of life itself.

Shlossberg studied with the masters of danza for decades to better understand the creative expression, but he also jumped into the fray. “I put a knife to a piece of wood in a rough way,” he says. “And I was invited to put on a costume and dance.”

He freely admits he will never be a good dancer, but celebrates the fact that perfection is not required for participation. Choreographed, scripted dances are reserved for more experienced performers, but individual dancers are encouraged to share spontaneous steps as good-natured clowns.

Shlossberg’s participation was well received, and the masters made a mask of his face as personalized gift of recognition of his involvement with the dances and the community.

As the masks age and are retired, due to wear and tear and sometimes years of sweat absorbed, some masks are passed down as heirlooms. Most are simply set aside. The pride is born in the new masks construction, not from masks donned in the past

That tradition made it possible for the museum to acquire a robust collection of retired masks (as well as newly carved ones) for display. That collection, partnered with Shlossberg’s expertise brought a truly memorable exhibit to life—an exhibit that may resonate with Mexican Americans as it reflects their living traditions.

Visually impressive, the danza masks offer a secondary lesson, beyond the artform, according to Shlossberg. They offer a bridge to understanding.

“One of the greatest things I learned was the power of building community,” he says, “the magic of being inclusive. The way I interact as an outsider may be different, but there is still a place for me. I still belong. That is a very generous way of treating the stranger.”

He hopes the exhibit expands the sense of community beyond international borders. “I hope it breaks down barriers, misunderstandings, stereotypes,” Shlossberg says. The more we know, he says, the better we can see and respect each other in in our full, situated humanity.

“Dancing with Life: Mexican Masks,” will be on exhibit until April 16, 2023. Stop by the Northwest Museum of Art and Culture – the MAC—at 2316 W. 1st Avenue in Browne’s Addition to join in the celebration.