Abstract
Since April 2020, the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) has asked for people to wear face masks in public to curb the spread of COVID-19. This shift has given rise to a mass movement of cloth mask making. Artists have leapt into action to produce masks for healthcare and frontline workers or as an alternative economy for lost income, while others customize masks to communicate identity, beliefs, or concerns. Mask making has also raised questions about the future of fashion with regards to health and sustainability. Through a series of conversations, experts from the arts, fashion, sustainability, and medical fields were invited to talk about the variety of issues, and questions this moment of mask making and wearing have produced. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Dr. Ana María Rule has been helping the scientific community and the public understand the spread of particulates and the effectiveness of masks. Through scholarly publications, Rule has proposed ways of safely reusing limited personal protective equipment, and questioned the results of studies gauging the safety of textile facemasks. Rule agreed to speak in the Art of Masks series as a way to educate the textile interested community about the limits of fabric facemasks, and how best to protect themselves and others.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 5-11 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Modern Craft |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2021 |
Keywords
- COVID-19
- Craft
- Fabric Face Masks
- Mask Making
- Masks
- Textile
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Visual Arts and Performing Arts