Ken Wiederman, Zane middle school art teacher and Seven Hou, Shoushan Junior High teacher, collaborated on an art exchange during the ’26-’27 school year. Zane art students developed personal avatars in Ken’s art class. In response, Seven’s students made masks that metaphorically expressed parts of thier personalities. Here is a link to Ken’s avatar lessons. Read on to see examples of this great work!
Creating a Personal Avatar (process shots)
A few shots of Ken’s students developing their avatars
Creating a Personal Avatar (Final Examples)
Shoushan Student Masks
“I used bright colors to draw things I like, mixing animals and fruits together. I drew whatever came to mind, showing my lively, imaginative and easygoing personality.”
“My theme is from a Japanese anime, and this story has both sunshine and darkness. The protagonist’s dream is as bright as sunshine. The protagonist wants to become an “astronaut” and fly to the moon on this rocket, but the darkness lies in the fact that the protaganist committed seppuku at the age of 13 and killed his twin brothers before the seppuku, shattering them in half like an uneven moon. The butterfly, symbolizing hope, has a bright sunshine smile.”
“The main design uses a ghost mask, but I used sharp totems and striking contrasting colors to represent different emotions.”