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NEWS RELEASE

RamEvents – Colorado State University

March 24, 2022

Green Mask Project

Colorado State University, March 24  – RamEvents in collaboration with the Asian Pacific American Cultural Center (APACC) and artist, Eriko Tsogo, for Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month and Earth Day 2022 are hosting the Green Mask Project Workshop on April 5, 2022 at the Lory Student Center North Ballroom from 3pm to 6pm MT.

The workshop recycled materials are generously sponsored by three local recycling companies: Next Use Composting & Recycling, The Alliance Center, and SustainAbility Recycling. In celebration of Earth Day on April 22, 2022 Green Mask project emphasizes “green” and eco themes and materials to help promote Earth consciousness, sustainability and recycling awareness amongst the youth generation.

“Green Mask. America’s Voice – A Social Equity Project” is a multifaceted eco-inspired humanities project designed for the CSU student body to help promote social equity, diversity and cultural empowerment in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month in 2022. Green Mask project seeks to build community and empowerment by way of dismantling the prejudge and hateful rhetoric made against the AAPI identities during the pandemic through the universal healing language of art.

The Green Mask workshop seeks to challenge how we perceive Asian Americans in relation to space and environment; to offers a diverse perspective of what it means to be an Asian American in America today through the examination of identity, culture and space.

Green Mask is a two-part project. Eriko will take 55 CSU students to Meow Wolf Denver for a tour of the artist room Mongovoo and to study other rooms with masks. For part two, 12 students will take inspiration from the field trip and participate in a workshop to make their own masks out of recycled materials. Eriko will work with the students to brainstorm their identity/origin stories into three-dimensional mask designs. Students will have 3 hours to make their mask creations using the provided recycled materials.  The completed masks will be installed in the APACC office.

The final recycled mask creations become mirrors that invite the viewer to see themselves in the humanness inside, thereby invoking connectivity in the sameness that we all share beyond social barriers. Green Mask project is a call for coexistence, for a more greener world, for an ideal world in which individuals can unite in celebration of our distinctions and of our common humanity.

In celebration of APIDA identities following the workshop, an art exhibition and ramen mixer will be held April 7, 2022, starting at 6pm MT at the APACC office with Eriko being present to talk through the visions of the project and how it fulfills its goals. Students and community will be welcome to ramen and games following the Green Mask Project exhibition.

Thank you Asian Avenue Magazine for featuring us in your April 2022 issue.

About RamEvents

RamEvents is the student programming organization at Colorado State University. From large concerts and local live music to lectures and movies, RamEvents collaborates with on-campus and off-campus partners to consider and be inclusive of the identities and experiences of every student at CSU.