article by Kara Schwalbe | photos by Keely Zimmerman

To Terry Zee Lee, a kite is much more than a child’s toy. It embodies art, science, storytelling, and sport. It serves as a way to engage and educate a community, and it is pure joy visible against the sky. She fondly remembers childhood beach days in Oregon, saying, “My mother would tie a kite to each one of our wrists, and we’d spend the day on the sand flying kites.” Today, Terry is a renowned kite artist, curator, and educator living in Billings, Montana. Through her entrepreneurial spirit and unwavering dedication to community impact, she has turned a childhood passion into an art form that has brought joy and education to thousands.

FROM LEATHER TO LIFTOFF: AN ENTREPRENEUR’S JOURNEY

Although kites have always been Terry’s passion, her career started in Denver with leatherwork, where she developed her skills working with garments and materials. When she moved to Billings in 1972, she made leather clothes for local families to support herself while managing her ranch and raising children. However, Terry’s entrepreneurial spirit wouldn’t stay grounded for long.

She started the Spiffy Company, preparing houses for sale and applying her leatherworking skills to hang wallpaper with accuracy. As she became more involved in the community, Terry realized that downtown Billings needed a distinct identity to boost local tourism. Her solution? The Red Velvet Carriage Company, where residents and visitors could tour the town on trolleys or carriages pulled by six of her draft horses.

This venture eventually led to her role with the Chamber of Commerce, where she served as chair of the tourism branch for Billings from 1991 to 1992. In this capacity, she made her most lasting mark on the city.

WHEN ART TAKES FLIGHT: THE BIRTH OF AN ARTFORM

The breakthrough moment occurred at an unexpected location: the Billings airport baggage claim. As chair of tourism on the Billings Chamber of Commerce board, Terry realized that the new baggage claim area desperately needed some artwork. She considered many ideas before settling on the perfect solution.

On November 9th, 1999, Terry’s first kite exhibit was installed, celebrating the new millennium. The display was a breakthrough. It featured art that was accessible, joyful, and conversational; art that made people look up, both literally and figuratively. Its success led to her nonprofit efforts (initially SkyWindWorld and later Zee Lee Kites), providing artists with a unique platform and continuously bringing beauty and creativity to spaces and skies.

THE CURATOR’S VISION: ART WITH ALTITUDE

Terry’s process for curating an exhibit is meticulous and highly collaborative. She starts with a theme, such as the history of the buffalo and birds of America or water conservation, among others, then commissions kite builders to create works that represent some aspect of that theme. Each artist interprets the concept through their own lens, resulting in a collection that is both cohesive and diverse, and they all fly perfectly.

When installation day arrives, Terry hangs each of the kites herself (with help from trusted friends), carefully considering lighting and spacing to honor the incredible work of each artist. To date, she has curated 18 unique exhibits. Many have traveled and been displayed in multiple locations, often in highly visible public spaces, always aiming to share the artwork, the artist’s stories, and messages with as many people as possible.

SPOTLIGHT: VISIONS OF LEWIS & CLARK

One of Terry’s most notable traveling exhibits is “Visions of Lewis and Clark,” a striking blend of history, art, and education. The idea: use kites to highlight the challenging journey of Lewis and Clark and honor the Native Americans who offered vital support along the way.

Terry chose 30 journal quotes from Lewis and Clark that show what they saw, experienced, and learned. Each quote was given to a different national kite builder, who then researched and turned it into a unique kite that tells a story.

The exhibit has traveled to many communities along Lewis & Clark’s route, engaging audiences and teaching them about this important journey. When the exhibit arrives in a new city, Terry offers STEM-based kite-building lessons at local schools, and a local artist is chosen to create a kite that shows their city’s connection to the expedition. The exhibit recently returned to Montana and is now on display at the Mansfield Library in Missoula and at various locations around town.

LESSONS ON THE WIND: KITES AND KIDS

• Beyond the museum-quality exhibits, Terry appreciates the powerful educational value of kites. In one lesson, a kite can teach children concepts, all while they enjoy the exciting experience of watching something they made fly into the sky.
• Physics and aerodynamics
• Materials, science, and technology
• Art and history
• Knots
• Meteorology

She estimates she has taught over 7000 students, each decorating, building, and flying their own kite. “They are so proud to say, ‘Look at me, look at my kite!’ and they are just so happy,” she says. Her voice warms with the memory of thousands of upturned faces. “This is what keeps kite flyers and educators going back for more.” Now, she enjoys using her kite program to host birthday parties for children.

TERRY’S WHY: JOY WITHOUT BARRIERS

What drives Terry after all these years? It’s simple and profound: the excitement she sees on children’s faces when their kites catch the wind for the first time. The astonishment, joy, and wonder that a kite brings its flyer, regardless of age or ability.

“Kites are for anyone,” Terry says with a smile, “What's great about kites is that they are accessible to everyone: old, young, active people, people in wheelchairs. They are a way to give everyone something to enjoy.”

You can fly kites casually with your family on a Sunday afternoon, or you can dive deep into the American Kitefliers Association (AKA) and enter competitions for sport or for art. The possibilities, like the sky itself, are endless.

Terry’s philosophy is beautifully simple: “If you’re having a bad day, go fly a kite; if you’re having a good day, go fly a kite.” For Terry Zee Lee, that string in her hand connects more than just fabric to the earth; it links people to wonder, students to learning, communities to their stories, and all of us to the simple, transcendent joy of watching something beautiful dance in the wind.

GO FLY A KITE:

TERRY’S TOP LOCATIONS FOR

FLYING A KITE IN BILLINGS

If you want to fly a kite in Billings, you'll find plenty of wind and open spaces. Choose a dry day when the wind is steadily between 5 and 15 mph.

AMEND PARK

CASTLE ROCK PARK

RIMROCK WEST PARK

ANY OPEN AREA away from powerlines or trees- as long as you have permission from the landowner

DON'T HAVE A KITE?

Build your own or buy a DIY kite kit from sites like kitekits.com that provides everything you need to decorate, assemble, and fly your kite.

Originally printed in the April 2026 issue of Simply Local Magazine

Check this article out in the digital issue of Simply Local here!

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