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Symposium: Mask Carvers in the Alps - Consorzio Mascherai Alpini Guest in Imst
The Mascherai Alpini Symposium – Mask Carvers in the Alps takes place from July 25 to 27, 2025, in Imst. Behind the Johanneskirche, carvers from Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and Slovenia will come together to provide insight into their craft. The public is warmly invited to stop by and watch the carvers at work.
The Consorzio Mascherai Alpini was already a guest in Imst in 2008 and 2017. This year, the symposium will once again enliven the area behind the Johanneskirche, where a sculpting symposium organized by the Cultural Office of the City of Imst took place last year.
The History of the Consorzio Mascherai Alpini
In 2002, a group of enthusiastic mask carvers formed around Luigi Revelant in Tarcento, in Italian Friuli – the Mascherai Alpini – with the goal of promoting the tradition of Alpine Carnival and particularly the folk art of masks.
Soon, carvers from other regions of Italy, as well as from Slovenia and Hungary, joined the group, which organized itself as the Consorzio Mascherai Alpini. Since 2005, Tyrolean carvers have also been members of this association, which maintains close relationships with cultural institutions in Italy and Austria, as well as with researchers in the field of folk traditions.
Annual Symposium of the Consorzio Mascherai Alpini
Since its founding, the group meets annually for a symposium dedicated entirely to wooden masks. For an entire weekend, participating artists demonstrate how they carve their masks during a publicly accessible outdoor event, share experiences with each other, and answer questions from interested visitors.
Book Presentation
As the highlight of the event, which takes place in Imst for the 3rd time this year, a book presentation will occur on Saturday, July 26, at 5 PM. The idea of the chairman Luigi Revelant to publish a work about the history of the association, its symposiums, the participating carvers, and the Carnival locations involved has been realized and can be admired in book form for the first time in Imst.
Program Symposium 2025 behind the Johanneskirche
• Friday, July 25, 2:00 PM: Opening of the Symposium
• Book Presentation: Saturday, July 26 at 5 PM
Working hours of the carvers:
Friday, July 25, 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Saturday, July 26, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM / 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Sunday, July 27, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
• Sunday, July 27, 1:00 PM: End of the Symposium
