"Myth comes alive as it enters the cauldron of evolution,
drawing energy from the storytellers who shape it."
Elizabeth Fuller, The Independent Eye Theatre
I’ve always seen masks as "vessels for our stories", and derived inspiration from mythology, the collective Story. When I went to Bali to study temple mask traditions I was privileged to produce collaborative masks with Balinese mask makers while there. In 1999 I created 30 Masks of the Goddess for the Spiral Dance in San Francisco as contemporary "Temple Masks" for multi-cultural Feminine Faces of Diety. As I researched world mythology, I found myself in a grand conversation that grew as dancers, storytellers, and communities used the masks, filling them with energy and new meaning. I've been privileged to have many Colleagues, and with them The Masks of the Goddess Collection traveled throughout the U.S. I myself have presented at the Glastonbury Goddess Conference in the U.K., the Women and Mythology Association, the Kripalu Institute, Friends of Jung, the Goddess Spirit Rising Conference, and in 2015 the collection was at the Parliament of World Religions.
I’m delighted by the synergy of cross-disciplinary projects . By exploring myth in contemporary ways we activate ancient taproots that can sustain us into the future. Art process can mean many things, and for me art making is most often also a spiritual practice. I have made many devotional works, including series I call "Earth Shrines". My desire to "give voice" to the Spirit of Place, what the Romans called the Numina, became a series of masks called “Numina: Masks for the Elemental Powers”. Playwright Ann Waters used the collection for “The Awakening: Our Changing Earth” in Willits, California in 2013.
Last, because I live in the Southwest, I’ve been inspired by the presence of the native American Creatrix, Spider Woman. I believe this ancient and ubiquitous archetype has important meaning for our time, and so I keep pursuing the threads of the Spider Woman. In 2007 I was awarded a fellowship with the Alden Dow Creativity Center at Northwood University to develop "Hands of the Spider Woman" as well as a grant from the Puffin Foundation, and in 2009 I further developed the project as resident artist at the Henry Luce III Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C. The weaving continues.
drawing energy from the storytellers who shape it."
Elizabeth Fuller, The Independent Eye Theatre
I’ve always seen masks as "vessels for our stories", and derived inspiration from mythology, the collective Story. When I went to Bali to study temple mask traditions I was privileged to produce collaborative masks with Balinese mask makers while there. In 1999 I created 30 Masks of the Goddess for the Spiral Dance in San Francisco as contemporary "Temple Masks" for multi-cultural Feminine Faces of Diety. As I researched world mythology, I found myself in a grand conversation that grew as dancers, storytellers, and communities used the masks, filling them with energy and new meaning. I've been privileged to have many Colleagues, and with them The Masks of the Goddess Collection traveled throughout the U.S. I myself have presented at the Glastonbury Goddess Conference in the U.K., the Women and Mythology Association, the Kripalu Institute, Friends of Jung, the Goddess Spirit Rising Conference, and in 2015 the collection was at the Parliament of World Religions.
I’m delighted by the synergy of cross-disciplinary projects . By exploring myth in contemporary ways we activate ancient taproots that can sustain us into the future. Art process can mean many things, and for me art making is most often also a spiritual practice. I have made many devotional works, including series I call "Earth Shrines". My desire to "give voice" to the Spirit of Place, what the Romans called the Numina, became a series of masks called “Numina: Masks for the Elemental Powers”. Playwright Ann Waters used the collection for “The Awakening: Our Changing Earth” in Willits, California in 2013.
Last, because I live in the Southwest, I’ve been inspired by the presence of the native American Creatrix, Spider Woman. I believe this ancient and ubiquitous archetype has important meaning for our time, and so I keep pursuing the threads of the Spider Woman. In 2007 I was awarded a fellowship with the Alden Dow Creativity Center at Northwood University to develop "Hands of the Spider Woman" as well as a grant from the Puffin Foundation, and in 2009 I further developed the project as resident artist at the Henry Luce III Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C. The weaving continues.
"Lauren probes the limits of whatever medium she addresses.
The questions her art raises are deeply significant questions."
Robin Larsen,THE CENTER FOR SYMBOLIC STUDIES, Rosendale, NY
"Like the Spider Woman herself, Lauren has become one with the work of her hands.
It is unusual to find a talented artist who is also sublimely articulate
about her inspiration, her study, and her realization."
Sarah Gorman, THE CREATIVE SPIRIT CENTER, Midland, MI
"The Masks of the Goddess Workshop was a pivotal event in my life.
I have been feeling the Goddesses waking up ever since."
Lorraine Hogan, Participant at Kripalu, Lenox, MA
"Lauren Raine is a fascinating artist who steps outside of conventional
notions of what the function of art is."
Julie Hansen, UNIV. OF ARIZONA MUSEUM OF ART
The questions her art raises are deeply significant questions."
Robin Larsen,THE CENTER FOR SYMBOLIC STUDIES, Rosendale, NY
"Like the Spider Woman herself, Lauren has become one with the work of her hands.
It is unusual to find a talented artist who is also sublimely articulate
about her inspiration, her study, and her realization."
Sarah Gorman, THE CREATIVE SPIRIT CENTER, Midland, MI
"The Masks of the Goddess Workshop was a pivotal event in my life.
I have been feeling the Goddesses waking up ever since."
Lorraine Hogan, Participant at Kripalu, Lenox, MA
"Lauren Raine is a fascinating artist who steps outside of conventional
notions of what the function of art is."
Julie Hansen, UNIV. OF ARIZONA MUSEUM OF ART
All images and writings are COPYRIGHT Lauren Raine MFA 2015 and may not be used without her permission.