DepartmentTextiles-United States & Canada

Cut-Tyvek face mask

NameFace Mask

Artist Rosa Leff (African American)

CultureGerman/African American

Date7-1-2021

Place madeBaltimore, MARYLAND, United States, North America

MediumTyvek

Dimensions3 1/2" x 4" x 8"

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, Museum Purchase, MNM Collection, A.2022.29.1

Object numberA.2022.29.1

ProvenanceCurator Laura Addison purchased directly from the artist

DescriptionWhite hand cut tyvek face mask with ties. Rosa Leff is a contemporary paper-cut artist who works in the style known in German as scherenschnitte (scissor cuts). Her usual subject matter is everyday urban scenes from Baltimore. During the pandemic, she made face masks as a nod to the rising need for personal protective equipment (PPE). “So many of us picked up creative hobbies during the pandemic as a way of finding comfort, occupying our time, and coping with stress,” Leff writes. “Those of us who were professional artists adjust[ed] our business models, move[d] our exhibitions online, and incorporate[d] the new normal into our art.”