Artist Statement/Biography: Michael Bergman builds Commedia dell’Arte masks in the style of the late 16th/early 17th century, out of leather, papier machier, and other natural materials. The masks are custom fitted to the actor’s face, starting with a life-mold, and take many hours to construct, but when finished, fit like a glove, as a mask should fit, rather than like a shoe, as so many do fit. Acting with a poorly fitted mask is like acting with a shoe on your head.