Woman & Carnival

This volume collects all the contents of the photo-exhibition “La Maschera della Donna. Feminine Masks in the Carnivals of Piedmont,”which took place during  the celebration of Women’s History Month, at Mary Washington University, Fredericksburg VA,  March 10-30, 2008.

Following a string of earlier events that started with the exposition "Bestie, Santi, Divinità"(Turin, winter 2003-2004), and continues through the research of the "Laboratorio Etno-Antropologico" of Rocca Grimaldi (AL), and the photo exhibition “Dei Selvatici. Orsi, lupi e uomini selvatici nei carnevali del Piemonte,” which was the main event for the Carnival 2007 of  Maison de l’Italie – Cité Internationale Universitaire of Paris, this exhibition wanted to give its visitors the opportunity to meet a lesser known aspect of the Italian folklore.   

For the occasion of  Women’s History Month the main topic of this collection of photos was woman masks  used in Piedmont’s traditional carnivals. The photos exposed were taken by Piercarlo Grimaldi (Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche) and by Davide Porporato (Università del Piemonte Orientale) in nine different carnivals  across Piedmont .In this respect the event represented a rewarding experience of International collaboration.

The exhibition, and this book, were made possible thanks to the  support of the Simpson Program in Medieval Studies, the Department of Modern Foreing Languages at UMW; the Program of  Italian Studies at UMW, UMW Women’s History Month, and Università Piemonte Orientale: Facoltà Lettere e Filosofia

Michele F. Fontefrancesco

Federico Schneider