Kite Tales
March 29 – May 21, 2017
J. Wayne Stark Galleries

Overview
Under the direction of the Bill McKinley (Benz Chair in Floral Design), the primary goal of the Kite Tales project for the Student Floral Club was to push students outside their familiar floral design “box.” This project allowed students to express themselves through the creation of a floral design tethered to an abstract fabric kite.

Process
The Kite Tales exhibit combines two art forms, storytelling and artistic design. Each student exhibitor was tasked with telling a TALE and then interpreting with a TAIL. The tale could be fiction or a recounting of an event, but each tail had to illustrate aspects of the story. The stories told here range from tributes to favorite childhood fiction, poetry to historical figures. Gaze skyward to enjoy the tales told by tails.

Results
The pathway for students to complete their designs often took some sharp turns and even a few detours. It typically started slowly, with the kernel of an idea developing into a design concept that eventually became reality. Construction methods, display concepts, and design styles all became part of the learning process, as well as intellectually being able to connect their design to the tale on their display card.