After a sold-out CONJUR: A Masked Affair in New York City this fall, the Romare Bearden Foundation is thrilled to release a limited selection of one-of-a-kind, artist-made masks—available now as a special Mardi Gras sale. Every purchase supports the Foundation’s nonprofit programming.
These masks are wearable artworks: bold, intimate, symbolic objects made by outstanding contemporary artists, each with a distinct vision and story.
How to purchase (first-come, first-served)
- To claim a mask, email: info@beardenfoundation.org
- Subject line: “Mardi Gras Mask Sale — [ARTIST NAME]”
- We’ll confirm availability and send PayPal payment instructions.
Masks are strictly first-come, first-served based on the email timestamp. The sale will run through Mardi Gras (Tuesday, February 17, 2026) or until masks sell out.
Masks available
SUPERHERO — Anita Glesta — $800
An “extreme interpretation” of a mythic superhero, SUPERHERO is exuberant, uncanny, and wonderfully specific: antlers, a brain-like form suspended from the helmet, and a small human hand extending from the forehead—offering a secret “power pill.” It’s a mask that leans into transformation and performance, combining humor and strangeness with bright color and real wearability.
Artist website: https://anitaglesta.com/
Marchons unis — Yolène Legrand — $350
Based on the Haitian flag, Marchons unis (“Let’s march united”) is both celebratory and declarative—an image of collective identity that resonates deeply in a Mardi Gras context, where masquerade becomes community ritual. The piece carries the weight of national symbolism while remaining visually immediate: a mask that reads like a banner, a call, a belonging.
Artist website: https://www.yolenelegrand.com/
The Gele Mask — Clara Nartey — $1,900
Inspired by African masks and the gele (a West African women’s headwrap), Nartey’s mask is also a meditation on material: African masks are traditionally carved in wood, but this work intentionally explores what happens when the language of the mask is translated into textiles. The result expands the idea of “structure” into softness, drape, and crafted surface—honoring tradition while pushing medium and form forward. Stand not included.
Artist website: https://claranartey.com/
Hard to See the Path Ahead — Susan Clinard — $1,ooo
A mask for turbulent times: Clinard describes a strained expression searching for a way forward amid national and global conflict. Hard to See the Path Ahead feels like a portrait of collective uncertainty—an emotional weather report—yet it also suggests the stubborn act of looking, of trying to find direction. It’s a powerful piece for this moment, when clarity can feel scarce but necessary.
Artist website: https://www.clinard.org/
Scream Freeee Til We Blue In The Face (2025) — Jamel Robinson — $800
Acrylic, wax crayon, and paper on a plastic mask.
Robinson’s title is the first punch: raw, musical, urgent. The materials do the rest—layering gesture, color, and mark-making into a mask that feels like an amplified voice. This is masquerade as expression and insistence: a portable surface that holds energy, repetition, and pressure—like a refrain you can’t shake.
Artist website: https://www.jamelrobinson.com/
“Nirbhaya” (Fearless) II (2025) — Anindita Dutta — $2,000
Crafted from animal horn, a used shoe, animal fur, and a kitchen object, this sculptural mask is a tribute to the 2012 Nirbhaya case in India—a tragedy that galvanized global conversations about gender violence and justice. Dutta’s material choices carry symbolic weight: strength, survival, daily life, and endurance fused into a single form. The work holds both trauma and resilience, honoring the fearless name that became a rallying cry.
Artist website: https://www.aninditadutta.com/
Voyages 53: lava (2004–06) — Joyce Kozloff — $2,ooo
Cast paper with watercolor and acrylic; signed and dated on verso.
Kozloff’s Voyages 53: lava brings a distinct material elegance—cast paper as sculptural ground, with watercolor and acrylic adding atmospheric depth. The title suggests geology, heat, movement—something elemental and shifting. It’s a mask that reads like an object from a map-room or cabinet of wonders: travel, terrain, and transformation condensed into wearable form.
Artist website: https://www.joycekozloff.net/
Ancestral Shiesty (2025) — Jared Owens — $3,500
Linocut on canvas (12 1/2 x 12).
Owens contributes a striking printmaker’s approach to masking: bold line, high contrast, and the tactile authority of a carved matrix translated onto canvas. With “ancestral” in the title, the work invites viewers to consider inheritance and presence—how identity can be both carried and constructed—through the graphic force of linocut.
Artist website: https://www.instagram.com/jaredowensart
Thank you for supporting the Foundation
These masks are more than Mardi Gras style—they’re collectible works of art that directly support the Romare Bearden Foundation’s mission and programming.
If you’d like to claim one, email info@beardenfoundation.org with the subject line “Mardi Gras Mask Sale — [ARTIST NAME]”. First-come, first-served—so move quickly.