The  M.A.S.K. Project is a year-long venture from April 2012 to April 2013, designed to:

First: Provide children with an interactive visual arts opportunity to make masks of their imaginary “Fantastic Creatures,” in the Children’s Imagination Art Project,  both in the Museum’s Art Studio workshops and in outreach programs with the DCM’s school and community service partners.

Second:  Raise public awareness of the importance of integrating the Arts into Math and Science curriculums in light of many recent budget cuts to Arts programs.

Third: Raise funds to continue the mission of the DuPage Children’s Museum as a Force for Early Learning for all children in our community.  This goal of the M.A.S.K. Program happens in two components, separate from the Children’s Imagination Art Project.

    1.  The “100 Masks Celebrity & Artist Online Auction.” The Museum has been honored by an incredibly wide array of national celebrities who have autographed beautiful bisque masks.  Nearly 100 professional artists have volunteered their talent to design them into fabulous works of art.  We invite you to view them and bid online from March 1-April 13, 2013.

    2.  The M.A.S.K. Project Benefit Ball, Saturday, April 13, 2013, where both the Celebrity/Artists’ masks and the Children’s Imagination Art Project masks will be on display at this gala event.

Auction Overview & Preview

LEADING  CELEBRITIES & ARTISTS JOIN TO RAISE FUNDS IN THE M.A.S.K. PROJECT (Math + Art + Science for Kids) TO BENEFIT DUPAGE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

From March 1 to April 13, 2013 the “100 Artist & Celebrity Mask Auction” will be live online to raise funds to continue the Early Learning educational mission of the DuPage Children’s Museum in Naperville, IL.

An incredibly wide array of national newsmakers has honored the Museum by autographing beautiful clay masks that were then designed by a network of professional artists throughout Chicagoland.  The white bisque masks were sculpted by Lisa Harris of Chicago’s famous Lill St. Art Center.

The celebrity autographs span Oscar and Emmy winners; sports icons from tennis, golf, football, baseball and Olympic skating; top recording artists from pop, rock, classical and country; Broadway theater icons; national news commentators; culinary personalities, government and political leaders, an internationally known poet,  a prima ballerina, an astronaut, a magician, a fashion designer, an author, and children’s favorite entertainers, among others.

Nearly 100 professional artists from in the Chicago art community have also honored the Museum by volunteering their talent to design these celebrity-autographed masks for the online auction.

The online auction will open on March 1, 2013 and end at 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, 2013, the night of the “M.A.S.K. Project Benefit Ball,” to benefit the DuPage Children’s Museum. The event will be attended by 325 guests at the Marriott Chicago Naperville, located at Naper Blvd. and  I-88 in Naperville, IL.