Kites tell stories

[Hoodoo]

http://www.greatfall...lark-expedition

This link is the story with pics.

Kites tell stories of Lewis and Clark expedition

4:04 AM, May. 30, 2012

DEDICATION TODAY

The opening dedication of the "Visions of Lewis and Clark" kite exhibit will begin at 2 p.m. in the front lobby of the Great Falls International Airport.

The kites rose on gossamer strings, slowly ascending to fill the airy expanse above the airport's concourse. Standing on the floor below, Terry Zee Lee carefully judged the height and position of every one, making sure each kite was afforded the space and lighting it deserved.

"Even though I did a site plan before, it never works out to be the same until you get to the site and start hanging them," she said. "But this is going very quickly and very smoothly."

Zee Lee is founding director of SkyWindWorld, a Billings-based nonprofit that promotes the beauty and artistry of kites through public exhibits and community workshops across the Northwest.

Today, during an opening ceremony that begins at 2 p.m., Great Falls International Airport and the City of Great Falls will celebrate the arrival of "Visions of Lewis and Clark," an exhibit of 27 kites that will grace the airport's concourse and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center for the next three months.

Far more than larger versions of the simple kites stocked on variety store shelves in spring, each of these kites uses fabric and color to tell a story drawn from the journals of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. To create the kites, some of the most talented kite makers from across the U.S. and Canada were given a short passage from the journals and asked to interpret it using the curves and colors of an aerodynamically engineered, working kite.

"Visions of Lewis and Clark" was first conceived for display at Billings Logan International Airport in celebration of the Lewis and Clark bicentennial. The collection has since drawn interest from institutions from Oregon to Kentucky. Zee Lee said Great Falls is the fourth community to display the kites, with four more shows already scheduled and five or six more communities negotiating for their opportunity to show the kites.

"With the amount of interest we're getting, we are going to be along the whole Lewis and Clark trail before too long," Zee Lee said.

At today's opening ceremony, Lee will give a short presentation on some of the kites' subtleties.

"I'll be talking a little bit about the history of kites, and then more specifically about how this display came about, plus my own thoughts about Lewis and Clark and the importance of the expedition," she said. "I will also be talking about the education component of this."

Not only can kites be viewed as beautiful works of art, they can also be used as an education tool. SkyWindWorld introduces children to the art of kite making through regularly schedules visits from knowledgeable kite makers at schools, community workshops, children's museums and summer camps.

"Our program teaches math, science, history, aerodynamics, engineering, art, plus patience and persistence," said Zee Lee. "That is the underlying purpose of all of this."

The Lewis and Clark Interpretative Center will host a kite-building program for children on Aug. 11. Admission will be free for Interpretive Center members, and $5 per child for nonmembers.

[John Barresi]

Awesome, FlyForm just participated in the same exhibit in Portland... Can't recommend it enough.