I had never seen anything like it and was fascinated by the fact that so few (less than fifty) historical horse masks are still in existence. I also hadn't realized that they were used for both battle and ceremonial reasons. This, as you might guess from the flags on it, was designed as a parade mask.
Wouldn't it have been fun to see a horse wearing this as he marched in an Independence Day parade?
Entitled "Don't Forget Your Mask," it's a reminder of what life was like five years ago.
Did you notice that the artist used buttons to represent eyes above the masks? I thought that was clever.
As you can tell, this one was devoted to quilts. I'm not a quilter, but I enjoyed seeing the way quilt patterns changed over the decades.
This crazy quilt struck me as a good way to use up fabric remnants. Now all I need is time ...
This looks almost real, doesn't it? Of course, if it were real, I doubt the prairie dogs would be out of their burrows, and the jackrabbit would probably be running as fast as it could to escape the predatory coyote.
As you probably guessed, this is a diorama. It's also one of the first exhibits visitors to the Wyoming State Museum encounter. I've seen it dozens of times, but I always stop to admire it when I go to the museum, because I love the way it introduces visitors to the variety of wildlife and plants that make their home in Wyoming.
If you'd like more information, here's their website.