Balinese masks find a home at Taylor Music Center

Gail George

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Vibrantly colorful Balinese masks from the collection of Gail George will have a new home at the College.

The masks will be installed in a ceremony on Friday, Nov. 14, at 4 p.m. in Taylor Music Center. The public is invited. A reception will follow.

The collection of 20 sacred masks is being donated by Carl George, professor emeritus of biology. His wife, Gail, who died Feb. 12, 2008, was a frequent organizer of dance and theater on campus and in the region. She coordinated a 2002 residency at Union of the Master Dancers of Bali.

All of the pieces were produced by master mask makers and blessed by Balinese Hindu priests, said Prof. Jennifer Matsue, assistant professor of music, anthropology and East Asian studies, who will lead the ceremony.

“These masks were used in many kinds of dances and have great spiritual value,” she said. “There is a belief that some of the Balinese dances are touched by the gods, and some of the masks hold powerful magic.”

Many of the masks represent great characters from classic Hindu or Balinese stories. Among the most unusual is a large mask depicting Cululuk, a trickster witch found in a number of Balinese tales.