Susie's Tree Spirit Masks on Display at Wussow's for the Month of March

This coming Thursday, March 6, Susie will be having an opening reception at Wussow's, 324 No. Central Avenue, for her show titled "We Wear the Mask." Susie began making masks back in the days when she did pottery. Though we no longer have a kiln, the mask theme has evolved and her work is quite remarkable. Here are a few examples, plus a bit of. backstory on the show.

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1. What prompted you to create your series of Tree Spirit masks?

 

Susie: I have lived in the country most of my life.  I have been making various kinds of masks for many years. The Tree Spirits came about more recently as an expression of my enjoyment of nature and a way to use various things I find outside in our woods and my garden such as moss, pinecones, seed pods, gourd pieces, and more.

2. You have made a variety of masks over the years. When did you start and What do you enjoy most about making masks?
 

Susie: Making masks as an artistic expression particularly resonates with me. I first began making ceramic masks almost 20 years ago. Around that time a widowed woman I knew died unexpectedly leaving her five children orphaned. I had been mentoring the youngest, a 6 year old girl, and I was shocked and heartbroken.

 

Faces can both hide or express many emotions. I began to include teardrops in one eye on my masks to express the universal sadness in life but I also include a small star in the opposite eye as an indication of hope.

 

I find enjoyment in the whole process, but giving them a name at the end is particularly fun.

 

3. Your masks are truly original. Where do you get your ideas from?

 

Susie: I don't necessarily start out with a specific idea. I begin making a face and it develops a life of its own as I go along. Sometimes I look at books of African or South American masks for ideas. Some masks may express my horror at world events, or personal angst. Others express joy that the earth and sunshine offer.

 

Wussow's is located next to Zenith Bookstore on Central Avenue, across the street from The West Theatre.

We Wear the Mask

A poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872-1906,

whose parents had been enslaved, has always been

a very compelling source of inspiration to me.

 

We wear the mask that grins and lies,

It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—

This debt we pay to human guile;

With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,

And mouth with myriad subtleties.

 

Why should the world be over-wise,

In counting all our tears and sighs?

Nay, let them only see us, while

We wear the mask.

 

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries

To thee from tortured souls arise.

We sing, but oh the clay is vile

Beneath our feet, and long the mile;

But let the world dream otherwise,

We wear the mask

Sunshine & the Blues

In the second year of our marriage, Susie and I served at an orphanage in Mexico (1980-81). Our hearts went out to the kids there in such a big way. At one point we even looked into the process for adoption. In Mexico there are enormous hurdles, we soon learned.

Susie has always had a generous heart, especially when it comes to children. As a result, she was often touched by the pictures of children seeking mentors that appeared regularly in our local paper.

The Mentor Duluth Program is designed to match kids ages 5 to 17 with adults who are committed to building long-term friendships with young people. For years Susie had home schooled our two very cool kids, but as Micah headed off to college, she could see this experience would be coming to an end. And so, she took the first step.

The girl who became a part of our extended family was named Christiana.

Mentor Duluth believes that all young people have the need for a positive adult, outside of their family, to be a friend and a support. Most kids are from single parent families or two parent families with special needs.

According to the Mentor Duluth website, "Our mentors come from all walks of life. If you are dependable, enjoy working with youth and are willing to have some fun, we are looking for you! Mentoring takes place in the community and activities can be anything from sporting events or cooking dinner to hiking up the north shore or participating in activities organized by Mentor Duluth."

In addition to being big-hearted, Susie is also very creative. They painted together, they dressed up, they made masks or pottery, and did whatever spur of the moment thing seemed an adventure at the time. The hamming for the cam at the top of this page was pretty typical. But the story took an unexpected turn.

Christiana was the youngest of five siblings. Her father died unexpectedly a few years previous, hence the family's introduction to Mentor Duluth. Her mother, who was wheelchair-and-bed bound with MS, was a remarkable woman. Four boys and a girl would be a handful for even a healthy mom, so her spirit and strength were impressive. What a shock when she passed off this earth after becoming significant part of our family for a season. Again, unexpected.

Susie's story, Sunshine & the Blues, is a powerful read that captures the flavor of mentoring, the impact of allowing the flavors of one's own family to be intermixed with others. If you don't have time right now, click the link anyways and bookmark it, so you can find it later.