Kites as Art

It can be argued that the use of kites as a means for artistic expression goes back in history almost as long as the concept of the kite as a tethered flying device.

Once a kite was constructed and soared into the sky on the wind, it is assumed that the kite flyer noted the intrinsic beauty of the device as it hung against the backdrop of the heavens.

The point at which the kite builder first decides to adorn the sail of the kite, or to craft it's frame and overall form to specific shapes to further define the artistic expression of the kite is not known in history.  But as surely as kite building progressed, so to did the desire of the kite builder to send a visual message to those who saw the kite flying at the end of the line.

Conducting workshops that focus on "Art Kites" as a specific concept is very different than conducting a regular kite making workshop. 

In 2007 I conducted a series of workshops, design sessions and a culminating flight event with a group of twenty-three artists from the Niagara Artists Centre in St. Catharines, ON.

There is a PDF booklet, entitled Art Kites, that I prepared to provide an overview of kites in general and of kites as works of art as step one in the process of the "You Fly It!" series of art workshops provided at the Centre.