Inca Masks
Grade(s): 3, 4, and 5
Location: Visual Art Studios at St. Albert Place (Art Gallery of St. Albert)
Duration: 1.5 Hours
Teacher Provides: Water, paper towel and desk covering (In-School only)
Volunteers: 2–4 recommended
Students create a mask inspired by ancient cultures of Peru. By looking carefully at ancient Peruvian masks, students learn to recognize some of the similarities and differences in how they were designed. A variety of clay hand building techniques are explored to allow students to create their own unique clay mask, inspired by ancient Peruvians.
Curriculum
- Art
- Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
- Social Studies
- (3–Art) Use art to express feelings and ideas; look closely and focus on improvement
- (4–Art) Develop realistic treatments, refine form and express feelings and ideas
- (5-Social) Appreciation of ancient societies and contributions to contemporary life
- (5–Art) Play with shape; use abstraction and distortion; minimize material and effort in art
Student Outcomes
- Learn interesting facts about Peru
- Learn about the materials used to create these masks.
- Explore how texture can be used to create a visual effect
- Create art for enjoyment
Suggested Pairings
- Peru and the Aboriginal People of Canada – Musée Héritage Museum
*Note: All in school and virtual clay programs use air dry clay which is much less durable than clay that is bisque fired at our visual art studios. We cannot transport clay from in-school programs to the visual art studios for firing, but if your school has a kiln and a technician, we can supply suitable clay for firing at your school.
Click here for information on in school techniques for finishing air dry clay.
*To book an in-school field trip, schools must schedule a minimum of two programs on the same day with a lunch break in between. If booking three programs in one day, the school must provide a room for classes to rotate through for the full day. Please note that if these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to accommodate your in-school program request.
* To schedule a field trip, you'll need to have a teacher account and log in. If you don't have an account yet, you can easily register for one here.
Teacher Feedback
My students loved the field trip. There is a good mix of teaching about the history and hands-on activities.
Perfect project to complement our learning in Science.
The presentation was engaging and informative. It fit in wonderfully with our kindergarten curriculum and was a positive and meaningful experience for my students.
These were valuable and engaging programs for the students. They enjoyed learning a new skill and at the river lots they were encouraged to think critically and reflect carefully.
My students loved it and couldn't wait to go home and show their creations!
This program was fantastic. The students loved the opportunity to be in council chambers.
I have done clay projects with you for as long as I can remember. Once again, everything was AMAZING! We have a new grade partner this year who had never been, and she absolutely loved it! The instructors are always excellent, They explain and guide the students in manageable chunks to make it easy for the kids to follow along. I love that you allow extra parents to come and assist. I especially like that the projects are always connected to the curriculum! Thanks again.
The Peru and Indigenous Peoples of Canada program perfectly connected Gr 3 Social Studies content with some Gr 4 Social Studies content. We had lots to talk about after.
The instructor was amazing. She engaged the students in the Métis culture. The activity was hands on and informative.
Amazing program with a knowledgeable instructor who engaged my students and me too! Thanks so much for offering this field trip.