Most of us have the preconcieved idea of an archetypical kite etched into our minds: usually diamond or triangular shaped, a tail made of bows, attatched to a string. However, when you walk into the Ameen art gallery, you are soon surprised of how many forms and concepts a kite can take.
This new exhibition dedicated to the theme of kites, was unveiled October 22nd and will be up for the remainder of the week in the Ameen art gallery, located in room 200 in Talbot Hall.
The show is hosted by the Zeta Alpha Zeta chapter of the Kappa Pi International Honorary Art Fraternity.
“The Kappa Pi students showed a high level of enthusiasm for the kite show, and we have a number of ambitious entries,” said Dr. Deborah Cibelli, associate professor of art, and adviser of Kappa Pi.
It was not a requirement that the entries had to be functional kites, however. The theme could be interpreted through various mediums, including drawing, painting, prints, graphic design and found objects.
“There are five functional kites, which will be taken out and flown for the reception, weather permitting,” Cibelli said.
“A few of the entries are from ceramics, and they have a kite motif. Then we have some prints and drawings.”
Some of the prints actually adorn the kites themselves. Brandon Zeringue’s “Self-portrait Box Kite”, one of the larger pieces in the show, has the artist’s visage embellished on each side of a box kite.
Assistant professor of art Ross Jahnke’s “Lewis” has a colorful print of one of his friends on a diamond shaped kite.
The pieces that are not actual kites fall into many diverse categories. Associate Professor David Horton’s piece is done in his distinctive style, with bright colors and a textured surface. The imagery includes a whimsical fish kite.
Carolyn Pellegrin’s piece “Leonardo’s Kite” is evidently a homage to the genius of Leonardo daVinci, whose imagined flying machines predated their real-life counterparts by centuries.
Janke’s other piece, a print entitled “Another Flying Toy” only subtly suggests at the kite concept. It is of a toy rocket, an image steadily reoccuring in his latest work, and is apparently a reference to pop culture.
Another piece that diverges from the standard concept of a kite in Jason Ledet’s “Kite @ 2002.” It is a maniquin painted yellow with the word “kite” scrawled across it. It is manipulated found object, done in the spirit of conceptual art that harkens back to Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain.”
Then there are the number of pieces by Kappa Pi alumni.
Robin Hartman, who recently graduated from Nicholls and is now a Graphic Designer in Baton Rouge submitted “Smear on Kevin”, which is reminiscent of a cubist painting.
Phyllis Lear, an art instructor who teaches art appreciation at Nicholls, entered “Broken Journey”, with drawings of a Dragonfly along with several found objects including a stamp.
The Kite show is the third Zeta Alpha Zeta hosted student exhibition. The first, in 2000, was the box show, where students had to create pieces incorporating small pencil boxes. For the 2001 exhibition the participants had to create pieces related to the theme “Forks, Knives and Spoons.”
Each show serves the purpose of encouraging students to produce work outside of class, and to gain experience exhibiting work in a gallery space.