MASK Fall Bay Area 2015 Events - Superheroes, Oktoberfest

New mask styles have arrived and are being hand crafted by Steve Pogni, mask legend in the Bay Area!

Superhero Comic Mask

All masks are Venetian style using non-toxic ceramic bases and designed with fabric, paint or arts & crafts.

Come visit us at one of these locations through October (Halloween schedule coming soon):

September 26: 6th Annual Superhero Street Fair in San Francisco

October 4: Castro Street Fair, San Francisco

October 10-11: San Mateo Bacon & Brew Festival, Oktoberfest 2015 (Saturday and Sunday)

October 17-18: Oktoberfest in downtown Campbell (Saturday and Sunday)

October 24-25: Stay tuned!

Day of the Dead Mistress

Where to Find Masquerade Masks in San Francisco Bay Area

It's been an exciting summer sharing our masquerade masks. But the summer isn't over yet. Visit us at one of these upcoming San Francisco Bay Area events!

August 9-10 Gravenstein Apple Fair in Sebastapol

August 16-17 Burlingame on the Avenue

August 30 Millbrae Art & Wine Festival

September 6-7 Mountain View Art & Wine Festival

September 14 40th Annual Solano Street Stroll

September  20 Lafayette Art & Wine Festival

September 27 Superhero Street Fair in San Francisco

October 5 Castro Street Fair

We are available for events! Contact us to book an event and spice it up: masquerade masks, Venetian masks, costume parties, Burning Man costumes, party masks.

Mask Making with Steve Pogni at Exploratorium

What an amazing time we had at Carnival "Mask Making with Steve Pogni" at the Exploratorium in San Francisco this weekend! We had such a blast meeting new faces and showing people how to create their own masks. Thanks to the Exploratorium for having us there. We look forward to coming back soon!

 

Iconic Masks Infographic

Thought this was worth sharing!

Original source: http://visual.ly/40-years-iconic-music-masks

October Schedule -- Tons of New Halloween Masks

Find us at the following events this month:

10/6 Castro St Fair in San Francisco

10/12 Zydeco Festival in Sausalito

10/13 Santa Rosa Italian Festival

10/19-20 Campbell October Fest

10/26 Noe Valley Harvest Festival

Leading up to Halloween, find us at Castro St @ Market or the Ferry Plaza Monday through Friday. 

Text us before coming and we'll let you know where we are!

Scary masks, fun masks, happy masks, silly masks, old fashioned masks, spooky masks, kids masks, pet masks, super hero masks, feather masks, princess masks, sexy masks, rock n roll masks -- you name it, we got it -- or could make it for you. 

Have a wicked fun & safe Halloween!

Where to find us this September -- Great new mask designs for Fall

The Fall is a beautiful time of year, although it is usually warmer here in the Bay Area than summer itself, yet the Fall also has an eery air about it, particularly when accentuated by the cold, dense foggy nights. Yes, Halloween is quickly arriving...what will your mask be this year?

Having just finished reading the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (highly recommended read), the way some of our fans seek us out reminds me of the reveurs. We are certainly fortunate to have a loyal following. Thank you all. Merci. Namaste.

We've been getting all kinds of awesome requests for masks for the Fall and Halloween. Got an idea for us, please let us know. We are going to do our best to show up to as many events and hot spots as possible so our fans can find us. 

We've got an amazing lineup of events! Here is where you can find us this month:

9/7 and 9/8 Mountain View Art & Wine Festival 2013

9/14 to 9/15 41st Annual Castro Valley Fall Festival 2013

9/21 Polk Street Blues Festival in San Francisco

9/28 to 9/29 Milpitas International BBQ & Festival

Also, feel free to call or text us at 415.246.3848 to find out where we are!

New Masks - May and June Calendar

We are back to blogging again! Apologies to all of our fans for the long delay. We have been busy making new Italian-style masks, and finding sources that carry the best quality and most affordable masks in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Here is our schedule for the next two months:


May 18-19 Boogie on the Bayou in downtown Campbell
May 25-26 2013 Carnaval San Francisco
June 1-2 Union Street Festival in San Francisco
June 9 - Haight Ashbury Street Fair in San Francisco
June 15-16 North Beach Festival in San Francisco
June 22-23 San Anselmo Art & Wine Festival

Comedy-Tragedy Duo

See you soon!

Jolly, Merry Masks! Holiday Schedule

Tis the season for spreading joy and getting someone that special gift! We will be at several local locations in the Bay Area this season. Stop by and see our latest selection of Italian-style masks, party masks, holiday masks and 'just jolly good fun' masks.

December 8-13: One Market near Ferry Plaza in San Francisco

December 14-15-16 and

December 22-23-24: Telegraph Street Fair in Berkeley

December 31 (New Year's Eve): Ringing in 2013 at the Sea of Dreams "LunaSea" at the Concourse in San Francisco -- wow, it looks like an amazing show again this year!

Thanks to everyone (my family, friends, fans, customers, and fellow street fair artists) for their love and support throughout the year. I couldn't have done it without you. Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season.

Venetian Masks for Dogs in San Anselmo

It was a gorgeous day in Marin County California on Sunday, perfect for the San Anselmo Street Fair. There were some extremely talented artists, and mascherari Steve Pogni was one of them. People of all ages had fun trying on masks, even the pooches!


A quick look at the history of Italian "Carnival of Venice" masks and maskmakers, from Wikipedia: "Masks have always been a main feature of the Venetian carnival.Traditionally people were allowed to wear them between the festival of Santo Stefano (St. Stephen's Day, December 26) and the start of the carnival season and midnight of Shrove Tuesday. They have always been around Venice. As masks were also allowed on Ascension and from October 5 to Christmas, people could spend a large proportion of the year in disguise. Maskmakers (mascherari) enjoyed a special position in society, with their own laws and their own guild. Venetian masks can be made in leather or with the original glass technique. The original masks were rather simple in design, decoration, often had a symbolic, and practical function. Nowadays, most of them are made with the application of gesso and gold leaf and are all hand-painted using natural feathers and gems to decorate."

MASK Booth at Haight Street Fair Today

Steve Pogni with one of his handmade mask creations.

We are here at the Haight Street Fair in San Francisco today. Come down and check out our new MASKS! The weather is beautiful out -- take advantage of the hot weather before the July fog arrives!


See the map of the Haight Street Fair.  Find the Mask booth in the middle (about halfway).


Italian styles masks, wearable masks, fun masks, party masks, mostly all handmade and one-of-a-kinds. See one of Steve Pogni's latest creations here on the right.

Next Sunday on Father's Day (June 17) we will be at the North Beach Festival in San Francisco. It's the perfect event for the whole family. And we have an Italian-style mask for everyone. Hope to see you there!

May Schedule - New Mask Styles!

Tons of new mask styles are available as we get ready for summer! Find us at at these 3 venues coming up:

• May 13 - "How Weird" on Howard Street in San Francisco
• May 20 - "Bogie on the Bayou" in Campbell
• May 27-28 - "San Francisco Carnivale" in the Mission District
• June 3-4 - "Art and Wine" Festival in Sunnyvale

Italian-style masks, handmade masks, San Francisco masks, masks for the whole family. Hope to see you soon!

Black Swan

Steve Pogni at his booth of magical and wonderfully handmade masks

                  

Venetian Ball this Weekend in Marin

The Osher Marin Jewish Community Center (JCC) invited me to be featured at their annual gala and auction, "A Night in Venice" this weekend. This is an exciting event because it's such a great group of people, it will definitely be a fun time!


I will be there Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9am to 4pm selling my hand-crafted, customized Venetian style masks.


Hope to see you all there!

Happy Holidays From MASK!

Jester Fever

Ending this year with a full schedule! 


Steve Pogni and his MASK team will be on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley next week, at the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco and several events (coming soon, maybe the Sea of Dreams again this year). 


These MASKs (shown here) are selling quickly this season, which are very popular for New Year's celebrations or collectible gifts for Christmas. 


Stop by to see our custom holiday masks. I'll try to get a photo of one, but they sell before I can get to the booth.


Wishing everyone a happy & safe holiday season!

Happy Halloween ... Happy Birthday

Skull n Bones Halloween Mask

Wishing everyone a fabulously happy and safe Halloween celebration tomorrow! 

Quick reminder that you can find a last minute Halloween mask at the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco all day AND on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley all day.

Featuring hand-made Halloween masks for men, women, kids, even pets. Classic masks, contemporary masks, large and small. Furry masks, feathery masks, skull masks and rock n roll masks (see photos). Something for everyone. And awesome prices.

Also, wishing my dad, Steve Pogni, a very happy birthday today! May this coming year be rich with love, happiness and good fortune. 

Rock n Roll Music Mask

October Event Schedule - Big MASK Month!

Halloween is almost here! We will have a HUGE selection of Halloween masks -- homemade, wearable masks. Italian-style masks. Scary masks. Funny masks. Sexy masks. Shiny masks. Custom masks. Feathery masks. Big masks. Little masks. Cat masks. Skull masks. Devil masks. Princess masks!


Visit us at these San Francisco Bay Area locations:

• Oct 1st - Bella Vista High School Sacramento Art Festival
• Oct 2nd - Castro Street Fair in San Francisco
• Oct 8th - San Francisco Ferry Plaza
• Oct 9th - Santa Rosa Italian American Festival
• Oct 15th-16th - Campbell Octoberfest
• Oct 15th - Noe Valley Harvest Festival in San Francisco
• Oct 22nd - Mask Erotica Concourse  in San Francisco until 5am
• Oct 11-14,18-21,24-31 on Telegraph by Walgreens (Jason)
• Same dates at Justin Herman Plaza Ferry Plaza in San Francisco

You'll get to meet Jason on Telegraph and me (Steve) at the Ferry Plaza. We'll help you find the MASK that makes you...you (or whomever you want to be!).

MASK is also available for private parties or to stock your parties with an assortment of Italian style masks, which makes it a really fun time for everyone.

September Schedule - Find MASK on Facebook

Yesterday we had one heck of a fun time at the San Francisco Italian American Athletic Club! Here is the rest of this month's schedule. 

• Today - Alameda Webster Street Jam. In the heart of historic West Alameda, it is the annual Peanut Butter and Jam festival (it's a cold one out here today with all the fog so bundle up but there is tons of good food, music and stuff for the kids)
• Saturday, 9/17 - Benicia Fine Arts and Crafts Fair on Main Street
• Sunday, 9/18 - Almaden Art & Wine Festival by the Almaden Ladies Club in San Jose, voted one of the best festivals in San Jose
• Saturday and Sunday, September 24 and 25 - Pacifica Fogfest
• Also Saturday, 9/25 - Cole Valley Art Fair in San Francisco

NEW! Find us on Facebook and become a MASK Facebook Fan so you can get the latest updates in our schedule of events in the Bay Area.

Wearable masks, fun for any occasion, but, of course, Halloween is right around the corner. Get a head start and choose your Halloween costume mask soon!

Burning Man Wearable MASKs

What better place for a MASK party mask than at Burning Man 2011? This year 'Burners' kicked their Burning Man outfits up a notch with MASK face masks (check out the photos below). Anyone familiar with Burning Man -- a huge party out in the middle of the desert every Labor Day in Black Rock City, Nevada (not really a city but it becomes the second largest populated 'city' every September) -- knows that you can't "buy" anything, but you bring cool things or food or art to trade or give away. Italian-style, wearable masks are the perfect thing to give someone to give their Burning Man costume more flair! A masquerade mask will help bring out the creative side in any "look" and, of course, make it a fun experience.


Enjoy some of these photos of MASKS that could have been found on the Playa, particularly at camp Troy, where the Trojan Horse creators stayed.


And next year, swing by out booth to stock up, or call/email us to place an order!


Happy Burning Man celebration!

August Schedule of Events for MASK

It's been a fun summer in the Bay Area meeting so many new people and seeing people so happy with our masks! With only two more weekends until summer ends, start thinking about upcoming holidays and parties when you may want an exotic, fun or sexy face mask.

Ivy Beak

Here is where we will be the next few weekends:


Saturday and Sunday, August 20-21
Hayward Zucchini Festival at Kennedy Park in Hayward, CA. Annual event with live entertainment, and lots of zucchini everything. Maybe we'll even hand-make a zucchini mask!


Saturday and Sunday, August 27-28
Ferry Plaza, Embarcadero, San Francisco. L-o-v-e this spot. Inside the Ferry Building Marketplace, it's like an indoor gourmet farmer's market. On Sunday, there is an outdoor farmer's market. Right on the water, the view is beautiful.


Saturday and Sunday, September 3-4
Millbrae Art & Wine Festival, Broadway Ave, Millbrae, CA. I saw that almost 1,200 people liked it on their Facebook page, so it must be good!

Filagree Stranger

New Orleans Dream
I posted a few new MASK styles on the right to get you more excited about stopping by to see us. 
Steve Pogni will most likely be there person you meet at the MASK booth. He'd love to meet you and tell you about his MASKS. See you soon!

MASK Gets Ready for Summer

Summer is going to be sizzling in the Bay Area. No, I'm not talking about the weather because San Francisco tends to be cold and foggy through the summer until September. I'm talking about our awesome collection of summer handmade masks!

Come on by one of our summer locations (to be announced soon) to pick up an Italian style mask for an upcoming party, just for fun, or even a Halloween mask if you like to plan ahead.

Here is a sneak peek of our summer MASK designs:

Cirque Noir

Versailles

Jester Chester

Alice vs the Queen

 

To appease our fans and make new friends, we will try to carry some masks that even keep you a bit warmer during San Francisco summer events ;-)

Steve Pogni is always looking for feedback, good events to participate in and is available for private parties. Give us a call or shoot us an email to discuss the details.

Upcoming Events - MASK Launches 50 New Designs

Just when you thought you had seen it all, Mask creates 50 new Italian style mask designs! New designs include black & orange Giants masks (it is opening day today, yea!), Phantom of the Opera masks (always popular), dioramas, half and full masks, feathers, beads, flowers, and every color of the rainbow.

Come check out our new designs & visit us at these upcoming events:

• Saturday, April 23 - Earth Day celebration at the Civic Center in San Francisco (space D58)
• Sunday, May 1 - How Weird Street Faire, a Burning Man event on Howard Street in San Francisco -- we will have an especially weird mask selection!
• Saturday & Sunday, May 21-22 - Boogie on the Bayou in downtown Campbell
• Saturday & Sunday, May 28-29 (Memorial Weekend) 33rd Annual San Francisco Carnaval in the Mission District on Harrison Street

Sinister Smile

Let's Dance