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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, June 19 - September 12, surveys 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 features 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 encourages viewers to look up and consider art from a new perspective.
Robert Trepanier is an international kite maker who lives and works in Montreal. He paints portraits of fictional characters on his kites. These animated, flying images investigate the relationship between the human figure and the ground, asking the viewer to consider the scale of the sky and the poetic possibilities of flight. Trepanier has travelled the world with his kites, entertaining kite festival audiences in dozens of countries with his flying cast of characters.
Scott Skinner started flying kites as a release from the rules and regulations of flying planes in the United States Air Force. Using one or two colors and common patchwork squares, his kites blend American patchwork quilt traditions with the flat, geometric shapes of Japanese kites. The recipient of multiple kitemaking awards, Skinner edited and contributed to "Paper Wings Over Japan," an important 1997 survey documenting the art of creating and flying Japanese kites. Three years earlier, he founded the Drachen Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting research and educational programs focusing on kites.
Tal Streeter is recognized as the first artist in the West to employ traditional kite making techiques in the context of contemporary art. His sculptures, drawings and kites have been featured internationally in museums, galleries and festivals. His work is included in many public and private collections including the Museum of Modern Art and the Storm King Art Center. Streeter is the author of seven books about traditional and contemporary kites. Streeter is also known for large sculptural works in steel and less traditional materials such as fabric and helium balloons. He has travelled extensively to research kite traditions from Malaysia to India, always returning home with scores of photographs and new material for the next book.
Stuart Allen is a visual artist and curator working in photography, site-specific sculpture and kite making. Allen has curated many kite exhibitions, organized kite festivals and lectured and served as a visiting artist at museums and universities throughout the United States. His photographs and sculpture are part of many public and private collections, including the Tokyo Kite Museum, the Crocker Art Museum, and the DiRosa Art Preserve. He has created permanent public art for the United States Embassy in Ottawa, Canada, and the Police Department of Davis, California.
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