The Masks We Wear: Michael A. Dickman

Each year the School of Creative Arts hosts its Student Exhibit. This year was the 35th exhibit. They are wonderful exhibits because it is so easy to see how students grow as artists in four short years. This year I was excited to attend because Michael A. Dickman was organizing a little performance art called “Masks.” His work was to reflect the fact that we are surrounded by people wearing masks, persona. It is not just “them”, “we” wear masks in public.

Michael has been fascinated with public presentations of self. Last year he had an exhibit at the USF library of 50 faces. He is an observer of people. Last year he joined us for an Alternative Spring Break trip to Chicago. We worked at Emmaus Ministries. As we participated in our Immersion Night he clearly observed and noted ways of being.


SOCA Student Exhibition 2011: Faces in the Crowd

So I went to the exhibit. The sad news is I did not get much video. The opening was jam packed with people. I could not easily video folks. The good news is that it was full of people. It was a great exhibit.

SOCA Student Exhibition 2011: Seeing the World Through a Mask

I watched Michael’s group gather. They put on their masks and then joined the visitors at the various exhibits. It was interesting to watch elaborate masks and simple masks, feathered masks, colorful masks and monochromatic masks appear among the crowds. It was interesting to see Michael, the observer, be transformed into the one being observed.