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fandomhigh2009-07-27 01:37 am
magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2009-07-27 01:37 am
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Art Appreciation & Protection (Period 2, Class 4, 7/20)
"Moving away from European art, and onto something less familiar to many of you today," Sophie said, opening her class with another sip of coffee. "Native American Art, or First Peoples, as they're often named in Canada, is also quite rare, beautiful and expensive. Masks made by the Tsimshian people have been valued at over $1,000,000 by Sotheby's auction house. Unlike art created in France or Italy at approximately the same time, symmetry is not valued as highly, and the faces appear simple, uncomplicated... but they're very personal and expressive, and the originality of the designs incorporated into each mask contribute to their value. They were also used in religious ceremonies, as were those made by the Tlingit and Haida along the Northwest Coast. Facial painting on masks usually represented designs of crests and shamans’ spirits." Sophie paused, then added, "For the peoples to whom these objects belonged, they were not just items of beauty or commerce, but magic and medicine."
"Today, we have an exhibit of priceless masks on display courtesy of the French and Canadian governments." Sophie's eyebrows rose in amusement. "A few of you have expressed covert or overt disbelief that there can ever be a good reason for a theft. These masks were sold by missionaries who appropriated them in the 1800's to the contemporary French government for a bare pittance of what they're worth. Activists for the First Peoples believe that they belong back within their original culture, where they can be properly valued and shared. Your mission today is to get past a security guard, a cultural attache, and a Mountie, in order to retrieve these objects. Use any means at your disposal, work in teams or alone."
Sophie smiled. "Begin." And the Danger Shop changed to a museum, with the displayed masks visible on a pedestal covered in glass in the center of the courtyard.
[ooc: OCDgoing up, and today's caper stolen from Due South, 2.6, "The Mask."]
"Today, we have an exhibit of priceless masks on display courtesy of the French and Canadian governments." Sophie's eyebrows rose in amusement. "A few of you have expressed covert or overt disbelief that there can ever be a good reason for a theft. These masks were sold by missionaries who appropriated them in the 1800's to the contemporary French government for a bare pittance of what they're worth. Activists for the First Peoples believe that they belong back within their original culture, where they can be properly valued and shared. Your mission today is to get past a security guard, a cultural attache, and a Mountie, in order to retrieve these objects. Use any means at your disposal, work in teams or alone."
Sophie smiled. "Begin." And the Danger Shop changed to a museum, with the displayed masks visible on a pedestal covered in glass in the center of the courtyard.
[ooc: OCD