he essentially forms a skull by laminating a series of strips of brown wrapping paper and then building up the features into the desired face. The mask then had a thin brass wire glued to the inside edge with small strips of paper for support. The second method he developed involved modeling the face in clay and then making a Plaster of Paris negative mold. The negative mold was cut into smaller sections to minimize shrinkage and numerous layers of paper were glued and pressed into the molds. When the various pieces were removed from the mold they were trimmed and then glued to each other to form the final mask. A third method for larger masks required the support of a wire or bamboo armature on which the paper was glued, draped and dried in multiple layers to create the desired shape. The fourth method relied on drafting elaborately patterned cardstock pieces which when bent and glued together would take on three dimensional forms. All of these techniques required painstaking work often lasting several weeks or months to complete. Each mask was smoothed with glues or gesso and sanded before receiving an elaborate paint treatment which was sealed in a lacquer and then lightly dusted with talcum powder to reduce the shiny glare and achieve a final soft patina. As mentioned earlier benda paid as much attention to the inside of the mask by sealing the porous paper with gold leaf and a sealer of lacquer. Immediately following their session the members of the panel conducted a gallery talk about the masks on the exhibi- tion floor pointing out specific examples of the techniques while answering many questions by the very enthusiastic audience. I later interviewed Popeil about the creation and design of the exhibit. She explained they had some support from the local USITT region to make the Plexiglas boxes needed for the display and her department supplied wood for all the custom made crates. Rose brand agreed to print up the photo blowups at cost and barbizon loaned them the exhibition lights. She also credited the AbC Tv workshop where she works for cutting out the graphics. The exhibition was ultimately made possible through the support of Ann Taylor, Mr. benda's granddaughter; and his daughter Eleonora bostelmann Shimler who allowed the masks to leave the family's Connecticut farmhouse. In selecting the masks to display Popeil explained: We started with the three masks that were given to Thatcher by his grandmother: 'Baboon Man', 'Eagle Man' and 'Pestilence'. Then Thatcher and I reviewed the other available masks and selected several of the more interesting ones while also making sure we had representative examples of each of his four mask making techniques. The family graciously allowed us to use these masks in the exhibit but only if we agreed to drive them the twenty hours from Connecticut to Kansas City. That was another deciding factor: how many crated masks could we fit in the SUV with me and three students (Popeil 2010). F A L L 2010 theatre design & technology 45