Liborio, the Cuban Kite I © 2018 Daniel Vidaillet | All Rights Reserved

ENDANGERED: Fine Art & Photography Contest 2018 Submission.

I am an American artist of proud Hispanic heritage. I consider myself 100% Cuban. And 100% American! My work reflects who I am.

I use my imagination, my hands & stainless steel flatware to design and fabricate one-of-a-kind welded sculptures that come alive in my one-person home studio.

My appreciation for birds of prey dates to my childhood when my Uncle Rob would take me hunting with his Aplomado Falcon in the red soil of Oklahoma.

My interest in the Cuban kite is much more recent but just as intense. My commitment to prevent its extinction became personal when I learned that Cuban kites exist nowhere on earth but Baracoa, my paternal ancestral home.

Liborio represents the only known sculpture of a Cuban kite. I made it to heighten awareness about the existential struggle of this species. Its primary food source is the colorful Polymita tree snail. I hope publicity resulting from this entry will dissuade foreign tourists visiting Cuba from buying crafts made with Polymita shells.

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