Skip to content
1981
1-2: Dressing through Pandemics
  • ISSN: 2050-0726
  • E-ISSN: 2050-0734

Abstract

During the 2020 pandemic lockdown, three curators at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) began documenting and collecting non-medical face masks from around the world. Working virtually from their homes in Toronto, Canada, they assembled over 300 masks from across 23 countries, recording stories of making, makers and cultural meaning. Their rapid response collection culminated in a year-long free exhibition, (September 2021–September 2022), which presented over one hundred original masks, many handmade, grouped under four themes: ‘Poetry and Protest’; ‘Heroes and Warriors’; ‘Survival and Strength’ and ‘Artistry and Innovation’. This article presents highlights of the exhibition, drawing attention to the exquisite artistry, innovative designs and powerful messaging behind the masks which reflected their makers’ stories of resilience, cultural identity and collective humanity in the face of a global crisis.

© 2026 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/fspc_00346_1
2025-07-18
2026-04-20

Metrics

Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Anon. (2020), ‘Launching the CAS Rapid Response Fund supporting artists and museums across the UK’, Frieze, 20 May, https://www.frieze.com/article/launching-cas-rapid-response-fund-supporting-artists-and-museums-across-uk. Accessed 22 November 2024.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Bertin, Nathalie (2021a), ‘Artist’s statement for her Faith mask’, Toronto, 2 June.
  3. Bertin, Nathalie (2021b), ‘Nathalie Bertin hand-beads this Faith mask’, Royal Ontario Museum, https://mobileguide.rom.yourcultureconnect.com/e/unmasking-the-pandemic/stop1. Accessed 2 December 2024.
  4. Crawford, Blair and Payne, Elizabeth (2022), ‘The day it began: When the pandemic arrived in Ottawa on March 11, 2020, it changed everything’, Ottawa Citizen, 11 March, https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/the-day-it-began-when-the-pandemic-arrived-in-ottawa-on-march-11-2020-it-changed-everything. Accessed 22 November 2024.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Futatsuya, Atsushi (2021), ‘Atsushi Futatsuya embroiders his sashiko mask’, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ93jtSMOS4. Accessed 2 December 2024.
  6. Government of Canada (2024), ‘COVID-19 epidemiology update: Current situation’, Health Infobase, 1 October, https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/. Accessed 22 November 2024.
  7. Kaur, Sanjeet (2021), ‘Functional face masks by A Kaur Brand’, Royal Ontario Museum, 16 September, https://www.rom.on.ca/en/rom-at-home/experts-objects/functional-face-masks-by-akaurbrand. Accessed 2 December 2024.
  8. Kwan, Don (2021), ‘Artist’s statement for his Veneration for Mother and Father mask’, Ottawa, 14 May.
  9. Saadi, Yazdan (2021), ‘Artist’s statement for his Seven Trials of Rustam from the Shahnameh mask series’, Rasht, 2 January.
  10. The Sewing Army (2020), ‘The Sewing Army: “A Day in the Life”’, YouTube, 8 July, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVSFD8pSezA&t=5s. Accessed 22 November 2024.
  11. Bertin, Nathalie (2022), ‘Curator conversations: Masks as art – adapting artistic practices through a pandemic’, Royal Ontario Museum, 18 January, https://www.rom.on.ca/en/rom-at-home/conversations/masks-as-art-adapting-artistic-practices-through-a-pandemic. Accessed 2 December 2024.
  12. ICOM Costume (2021), ‘Clothing the pandemic: A virtual exhibition of COVID-19 face masks from around the world’, ICOM International Committee for the Museums and Collections of Costumes, Fashion and Textiles, 23 December, https://clothingthepandemic.museum. Accessed 21 April 2025.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Kwan, Don (2021), ‘Curator conversations: Don Kwan for masks’, Royal Ontario Museum, 9 November, https://www.rom.on.ca/en/rom-at-home/conversations/don-kwan-for-masks. Accessed 2 December 2024.
/content/journals/10.1386/fspc_00346_1
Loading
Unmasking the Pandemic: From Personal Protection to Personal Expression: An exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum
Fashion, Style & Popular Culture 13, 33 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1386/fspc_00346_1
/content/journals/10.1386/fspc_00346_1
/content/journals/10.1386/fspc_00346_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): Black Lives Matter; contemporary art; embroidery; Indigenous art; pandemic masks; rapid response collecting; sustainable materials; upcycling

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test