Masks can transform the ordinary to the magical. At their most powerful, Masks are expressions of religion, ethics and morals. Even on Halloween, which in Western religion was once considered the night when spirits of the dead and spirits of evil abounded, and children now don mask and costume as a form of play, the transformation of the innocent child to the witch or ghost, come knocking at the door, has an eerie quality. We gaze into those frightful, immobile masks perched on three and four foot high bodies, and though we know that behind that rubber or plastic stands Billy from next door or Susan from across the street, we can feel something extraordinarily strange. We can feel the magic of the mask.

Indonesia, that exotic equatorial archipelago in Southeast Asia, is a part of the world where masks are an important part of the culture. From the mountains and plains of Java, Hindu temples in Bali and jungles of Kalimantan (Borneo) and Irian Jaya (New Guinea), rituals and dance dramas are still being performed today, giving the Indonesian people an immediate experience of their beliefs.

The masks in our collection are in two categories--dance and decorative. The dance masks, whether ceremonial or for entertainment, are painted wood. The eyes are an important feature of each mask, helping to convey the personality being depicted. So as not to distract from the painted eyes, slits for eye holes are carved at the bottom of the eyes. The dancer breathes through holes in the carved nose, except certain animal masks, where the breathing is done through the mouth opening. The mouth may be open or closed and sometimes the jaw is hinged for movement. Some masks have a cap with horse hair attached to it. These are images that represent witches as in the Calonarong Dance. The Wayang Wong and Barong dance dramas may include elaborate headdresses made out of gilded water buffalo hide and embellished with mirrors.

We can offer to you, the visitor, a glimpse into other cultures and the opportunity to become the owner of some of this special art.