Artist Niki Litts Turns the Ordinary into Art

On the surface, Paducah looks like a typical southern community — old men gathering for their early morning coffee at a local coffeehouse, churches on every corner, sweet tea at most local restaurants, and from time to time you’ll hear a strong southern accent from one of the locals.

Paducah also has something that most small southern cities lack — an artist in residence program.

Last week, multi-media artist, Niki Litts, traveled from North Carolina to host a community art project teaching a small group of artists and non-artists how to make paper cranes using origami. There is little known about the origins of origami, an ancient Japanese art form of folding paper, but the art form holds an important place in Japanese art and culture. Originally, used for formal and practical purposes, origami developed into an exquisite technique over the centuries.

Litts’ workshop was free and open to the public. It was clear from the beginning of the lesson that everyone was on equal terms in this group, as everyone in the group showed signs of frustration at the difficulty of getting the paper to fold into just the right shapes. 

Litts patiently walked her group through the intricacies of the project, providing step by step instruction and encouragement along the way. She invites people to be a part of her art work. Her warm, genuine spirit opens the door to creativity amongst a group of people who might otherwise not have engaged in a creative venture on their own.

“It’s important to involve the community in what you make,” she says. “It allows them to have an active part in creating the piece. That helps people connect to the artist, allowing them to become an advocate of the piece and of the artist, as they are now inside the process.”

Litts chose paper cranes in order to turn something ordinary into something spectacular. The paper cranes were produced by the community and Litts painted each bird individually with glass glitter. The final installation placed these elegant birds on white branches, covered with bits of colorful foliage. The piece came to life when it was mounted in the downtown gazebo, giving the appearance of tiny birds perched along the rims and ledges of the outdoor structure.

“I wanted to create something familiar to people — something that’s easy for people to like and understand,” says Litts. “It’s important to keep art in line with your public. My goal was to invoke happiness in the viewer.”

Litts typically works in graphite and water. She relishes the opportunity to create public art installations. Her fascination with personalities, multiples of objects, patterns and stories goes into much of her work. She is currently working on a series of portraits. These are not ordinary portraits, but rather portraits which point to the spirit of the person she is drawing. Each piece tells a story using patterns and a hint of surrealism.

Litts was drawn to Paducah’s artist in residence program after hearing a lot of buzz about the Artist Relocation Program. She’s enjoyed the creative community that exists in Paducah.

“It’s interesting to create in a community that is about “making” art,” says Litts. “I love the Artist Relocation Program and what it’s offered to artists, providing live/work space. And the look of LowerTown is beautiful.”

Upcoming resident artists include Rick Miller, a documentary filmmaker from Canada who will be here for the month of July and Sandy Webster, who will come to Paducah on August 4. Sandy will offer a public talk on August 12, followed by a three day exhibition, showcasing her completed works.  For more information on the artist in residency program please contact the Paducah Arts Alliance at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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