In late 2006, sf tv writer Marc Scott Zicree was auctioning off some of his memorabilia, including a prosthetic mask of actor Andreas Katsulas which he used while playing G’Kar on the series Babylon 5. Finding the auction on eBay, fan Amy Guskin realized “that the mask not fall into the hands of a private collector who would hog it all to himself,” according to Janna Silverstein. Guskin formed a group of 11 fans (including Silverstein) who hadn’t previously known each other. The group pooled their resources, won the auction, and then set about finding a proper home for the mask.
They’ve only recently found it a proper home: The Museum of the Moving Image, in Astoria, New York City. Museum Director Rochelle Slovin said of the donation: “This is a wonderful story of how members of a fan community gathered online from around the world to preserve an artifact that otherwise would have gone into a private collection. The mask itself is a beautiful example of special-effects makeup, used in the creation of a principal character on the show. We are honored that these donors chose the Museum as the home for this mask.”
The mask (pictured here), created by Optic Nerve Studios, is a hand-painted latex-foam mask resting on a vacuform lifemask of Katsulas. It (and the plaque it’s mounted on) measures 14.5 by 8.75 by 7.5 inches, and is museum accession number 2008.007.0001.
The museum quotes Guskin: “To say that I am humbled by my fellow Babylon 5 fans’ ability to trust, and willingness to donate money for something like this, would be correct; however, it’s not all that surprising, considering how much Babylon 5 means to so many serious science-fiction fans all around the world. It’s a deep, meaningful, incredible show that engenders deep, meaningful, incredible feelings in those who watch it. By donating the mask to the Museum of the Moving Image, we wanted to carry on the show’s legacy. The Museum was the obvious choice for this, since it has a wonderful exhibition with a section devoted to special effects makeup. We could be sure that all fans of the show, as well as the wider public, would be able to appreciate the craft that went into creating Babylon 5.”
Silverstein says “We, all 11 of us, had to sign the museum’s release, so the form has been winging its way from Pennsylvania to England to Alabama—all over the place—so the paperwork would be in order. It’s been a heckuva ride.”
The 11 donors involved in the project are: George Brickner (of Illinois), Neil Burton (England), Caryn Dunkel (New Jersey), Iva Ferris (Pennsylvania), Amy Guskin (Pennsylvania), Blair Leatherwood & Judith Emick-Leatherwood (California), Jan Schroeder (Florida), Janna Silverstein (Washington), Dennis Weldy (Alabama), and Hilary Weston (England).
The museum’s article on the mask and its journey is on this page.