Unmasking: The Inspiration

The inspiration for this mask was a virtual “field trip” experience I took to Autism Compassion Africa, a school for children with autism in Ghana. The colors on my mask represent the colors used on the school website, and the symbol on my mask represents the school as well. Autism is not widely understood or accepted in Ghana, and the leaders of this school are working to raise awareness and compassion toward autistic individuals while also providing much-needed educational services to these individuals.
 
Masking has a specific meaning to the autistic community: it refers to the practice of suppressing or disguising one’s own behavior in order to “fit in” with others, and it is generally considered to be a challenging, unpleasant, and even harmful experience. I saw a similar representation in Dunbar’s We Wear the Mask. Although this poem was written in a different time and referred to the experiences of a different population, the emotion and effects of masking seem sadly parallel. My mask with its bright colors was therefore inspired by the concept of unmasking, and by the concepts and practices of compassion and understanding that I see represented in this small school in West Africa.