By Louise Irvine

WMODA experienced a fabulous “Night in Venice” at the Benzaiten Center of Cultural Arts and presented a pop-up exhibition of Balocoloc masks, made in the traditional Venetian manner. It was a memorable celebration with masked guests enjoying a mesmerizing glassblowing demonstration of Venetian goblets. The masks are now back at the museum, in time for the start of the Carnival season in Venice. Join us at WMODA on Saturday, February 7, to experience “La Dolce Vita”, Italian for the “sweet life” of pleasure and beauty. 

From now until Shrove Tuesday on February 17, masked revelers in elaborate costumes stroll through the streets of Venice, and decorated gondolas glide through the canals. It is also a fun time for masquerade events in the USA, culminating with Mardi Gras, French for “Fat Tuesday.” In Christian liturgy, Carnival or Shrovetide is a time for eating rich, fatty foods before the penitential fasting of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday. In the UK, Canada and Ireland, “Pancake Tuesday” is the excuse for many people to feast and repent of their sins before the start of Lent on February 18. 

Let’s get into the Carnival spirit and discover more about the fabulous Venetian masks made by Balocoloc, which are available for sale in the WMODA Museum Shop. They are not just for masquerade parties; they also make beautiful wall art. Balocoloc Artisans was founded in Venice in 1977, and since 2001, Giorgio Iurcotta has continued his family’s traditions in his Orlando studio, making hand-crafted papier-maché masks in the manner of the original Mascherano in Venice. His unique designs are meticulously researched for accuracy, and the Balocoloc mask collection is extensive, with commedia dell’arte characters and baroque fantasies jostling for attention at Carnival and Mardi Gras. The jolly jesters are a great choice for home décor year-round, while the macabre designs are better suited to Halloween. The most sinister design featuring the Medico Della Pesta, with its long beak, was developed in the 17th century to protect doctors from the plague. 

Mask-wearing has retained its appeal from ancient Greek theater, when the laughing and weeping masks representing comedy and tragedy were symbols of the classical muses. The tradition was kept alive through the Venetian Carnival, which can be traced back to the 11th century and was well established by 1436, when mask makers, or mascereri, were officially recognized with their own guild. Casanova’s Venice was the pleasure capital of Europe, with its carnival, courtesans and casinos. The fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797 put an end to all this frivolity in La Serenissima. Masquerades became popular again in the decadent cabarets of Europe during the Art Deco era, and you can see porcelain figurines of Venetian Masqueraders at WMODA. 

La Dolce Vita Event

Experience La Dolce Vita at WMODA on Saturday, February 7, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm! Talks and activities are included in the regular museum admission price and FREE to WMODA Members. In addition to the Balocoloc masks for sale in the WMODA Museum Shop, you can also shop for Italianissimo jewelry from Murano and have fun decorating your own Carnival or Mardi Gras masks. 

You can discover more about the Venetian connection in the Fired Arts on display at WMODA from Louise Irvine, the museum’s Executive Director and Curator. See Chihuly’s Venetians and contemporary glass masterpieces by the Murano maestri, including Lino Tagliapietra, Pino Signoretto and the Ferro Brothers as well as vintage Venetian goblets in the Cheers exhibition. In the Studio Collection, selections of Venetian goti and lampworked Murano glass are presented by Sergio Gnesin. Look out also for the new pop-up exhibition of innovative mosaics by Italianmosaico and Venetian silk paintings by Anna Paola Cibin. 

Read more about the La Dolce Vita Event