As Director of Scholastic Art Colorado and an art teacher, my best attribute is being an innovative problem solver.  As an art educator with a myriad of experiences at the secondary and collegian level, the students I teach, coach and care about enrich the arts and their community. Creating recognition and experiences for young artists in Colorado is my commitment in the arts. I am honored to create a Mask Project again this year. 

After traveling to Panama, I decided to create a bird mask out of a beautiful bird mola. The molas are produced by the women of the Kuna tribe located in the San Blas Islands in the Caribbean off the coast of Panama.  The mola is a hand sewn in a reverse appliqué technique using intricately concentric patterns. Two layer molas are common, but molas like the one used in this mask have five or more layers and may take between three weeks to six months to create. The mask is rich in the color of life, past and future, and it honors the art of the Kuna tribe.