Medallic Art Society of Canada (MASC)

The Medallic Art Society of Canada is dedicated to the creation, promotion, appreciation and education of the fine art of the medal.

The MASC is a non-profit organization with members located throughout the world. In accoradance with the MASCs mission statement, the Society serves both the artists who create art medals and also those who appreciate and collect medallic art. The Society issues a newsletter three times a year for its membership called "behind the MASC".

In 1966, Del Newbigging, MASC^’S president-to-be, began his study of medals with Canada^’s foremost medallist, Dora de Pédery-Hunt. His continued involvement in the medallic arts through the British Art Medal Society, the American Medallic Sculpture Association, and the Fédération Internationale de la Médaille/International Medal Federation, inspired the foundation of the Medallic Art Society of Canada. On July 16, 2000, with a National Post reporter present, Del, Dora and other notable medallists voted unanimously to form MASC.

With the adoption of its mission statement, pragmatic and tactical details being resolved, the founding members were established: Dora de Pédery-Hunt, Dr. Alexander Husveti, Geert Maas, Susan Taylor, Anne Lazare-Mirvish, Del Newbigging, Linda Mazur-Jack, and Carlo Tacalino, with the latter three holding the offices of president, secretary and treasurer respectively. Saulius Jaskus,Yoshiko Sunahara, and Alice Teichert were soon added to the MASC team.

The May 5, 2001 meeting established future MASC goals. Advice on means for MASC to establish connections with numismatic societies was offered by the Canadian Numismatic Association^’s education chairman, Paul Johnson. In October of 2001, MASC^’s initial newsletter ^“behind the MASC^” was issued with MASC member John Carolan as editor, and in spring of 2002, plans began for the first MASC exhibition in Ottawa. The dates of October 19, 2002 to April 2003 were determined, with the Canadian War Museum as host, in partnership with the Royal Canadian Mint.

Currently the society consists of over 60 corporate, civic and private members, including galleries and the Royal Canadian Mint.

From Del Newbigging’s “The Man behind the Masc’; The Medal, No. 39, 2001, and “History of MASC’; with excerpts from Alice Teichert’s “Canadian Conference and Exhibition of Medallic Arts, Ottawa, 2002.” Edited by Saulius Jaskus.

In the domain of medallic art, it is no secret that the art medal has a long history. For centuries, art medals have been subjects to represent a gesture of honour or recognition for humanity.

The art medal was born in the period of the Renaissance, primarily with artist Antonio Pisano or Pisanello (c.1390–1455). This moment is decisive for the art medal, because the making of a medal was from now on consciously considered as a form of artistic expression. Aristocrats and wealthy patrons saw to it that the medal became a symbol of achievement. Tradition established that a specially designed medal was given as a sign or record of recognition to honour or reward one person or a group of individuals.

Even before the Renaissance, medals were always part of our societies as long as societies can remember. In fact, coins of ancient times were the ancestors of medals. Often these coins had portraits of rulers or heroes on them. This eventually led to the medallions of Ancient Rome. These medallions were made larger than coins and they were often given as gifts, and sometimes they were worn as jewellery. When struck medal coins were produced in large numbers in the early eighteen hundreds, the art medal received even more attention for its intimacy between the artist and the viewer. In more recent years, for example in France, artists such as Braque, Giacometti, Matisse, Moore and Picasso explored the realms of medallic arts to extend their individual forms of expression. Dora de Pédery-Hunt, Canada^’s most prominent medallic artist, created one of the earliest Canadian art medals in 1961 for the Canada Council. Today, in many parts of our world, including Canada, we witness a renewed interest in this very ancient art form, the making of a humble hand-held sculpture- ^“a monumental miniature^.” Though many countries in Europe have had their well established art medal societies for a while, Canada was left without one since 1965, until recently.

The time had come to create the Medallic Art Society of Canada or MASC. Del Newbigging, sculpture student and longtime friend of Dora de Pédery-Hunt, called for the formation of Canada^’s new medal society in July 2000. He invited a group of artists, who gathered at a round table to discuss the possibilities of reviving a proper focus on medallic arts. His major inspiration was Canada^’s Dora de Pédery-Hunt, who amongst many other of her important medals, created the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on all current Canadian coins.

Today, MASC reaches out beyond Canadian borders with members from Ireland, England, United States and Australia.

Paramount to the successful outcome of any medal is a starting point of a sound idea. Once in place, the idea can be tried in various ways through drawing and sketching until a finished and accurate one is achieved.

With this step completed, it is now time to translate the working drawings of the two sides of the medal (obverse and reverse) into slabs of oil based clay (plastilina) of the projected size. The tracings can be now resolved three-dimensionally by building up from the surface and carving into it. It is important, at this stage, not to include undercuts into the design.

The two sides are still separate at this point. With the resolution complete, plaster molds are poured and formed around the two sides. Once the plaster sets and cures, the clay can be removed and the plaster can be touched up where necessary.

Melted wax in now poured into the plaster molds which much be water saturated. The two halves will set quickly and can be easily popped out. Finally, it is time to assemble the front and back of the medal, achieving the desired thickness at the same time. Basically, the two wax sides are softened and stuck together.

Finishing and refinement of the completed wax is now to be undertaken. Each work in an edition will require all of these steps after the mold stage. With the wax complete, a system of wax pouring and venting rods and a pouring cup are attached to the model.

With the set-up complete, the first stages of the investment mold or shell are applied to the surface. It is critical that all details be accurately covered and that no pockets or air bubbles be allowed to form. The mold is reinforced and completed prior to placement in a burn-out oven where all traces of wax and carbon are removed. This requires heat at or near 1000 degrees E Once the mold is empty and still warm, molten bronze at over 2000 degrees F. is carefully poured into the cup hole.

Bronze sets remarkably fast and can soon be broken out of the mold. Now the metal work of the medal begins: the cups, rods and vents must be cut off and ground down, and the surface must be cleaned, chased, sanded, ground, polished or buffed by various means. Instant oxidization and colouration can be achieved through a variety of patinas. All of these steps can take a good deal of time.

With the bronze medal brought to a worked and satisfactory conclusion, the surface can be left to achieve an even richer patina or protected at this stage with waxes, oils or lacquers. There is no right or wrong way here. The piece is now ready for display in an exhibition or in a collection.