Papercraft workshops with #FreedomFox

Written by Beth Murrell (Participation and Engagement Producer)

Reflecting on the first of our fox mask-making workshops for The Awakening shortly after it had happened. This year, all of our workshops are being hosted through our partnership with Maritime Hull, and so we’re working across Hull’s museums and galleries – this week, in the Hull and East Riding Museum. The incredible team at ScrapStore are delivering our fox mask sessions again this year, with the invaluable support of HEY! volunteers.

Fox mask sessions are pop-in, so grey rainy days in February make it hard to know how many people to expect. Over four hours last Saturday, we welcomed almost 150 participants, making or giving out 200 fox masks for kids, families and people of all ages alike to have a go at. It was a really lovely session to be a part of: plenty of people decorating and colouring, getting stuck in to help each other, making something together!

Now, these masks are not the easiest task. It’s a lot of folding and involves that task of peeling the back off double-sided tape. I was in the majority of people who weren’t convinced they’d be able to actually make the mask, and yet everyone – from experienced crafters to the self-proclaimed non-artists – went home with a completed fox mask, ready for The Awakening. It’s a pretty good feeling when you manage to make a complicated thing. It’s also lovely to be a part of something bigger, and one mask made means you’re a part of the thousands wearing fox masks during The Awakening weekend!

Find out more about the workshop times before and during The Awakening, the story behind the mask and to download your own print-at-home mask kit here.