| In 1969 New York artist
Tal Streeter
turned away from his rapidly expanding career and left for Japan
to study the art of kite making. Following his return to the
United States two years later, he wrote the "The Art of the
Japanese Kite," arguably the most influencial book about
kites ever published in English. His
journey and subsequent account of Japanese kite making
traditions, which go back over 1000 years, has become the
definitive resource and inspiration for a generation of North
American kite making artists.
Tako: Japanese Kites Inspire
Western Kitemakers, at the Weisman Art Museum, surveyed
Streeter's work and that of three other prominent kite artists
-- Scott Skinner, Stuart Allen and Robert Trepanier -- along
with a selection of postwar kites
made by Japanese artists.
Kites in the exhibition,
installed high off the museum's walls, range in size from a few
inches to 40 feet. All are meant to fly and most have touched
the air over two or three continents. The exhibition also
featured Streeter's "Five Mile Long Flying Red line," a 12 inch
by 5 mile long kite tail. Taking advantage of the Weisman's
lofty exhibition spaces, Tako: Japanese
Kites Inspire Western Kitemakers
encouraged viewers to look up and consider art from a new
perspective. |