Kern Studios

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Kern Studios is a float building and entertainment design production company based in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. The studio creates large floats for events like Mardi Gras in addition to props and themed environments for theme parks, casinos, and corporate entities.

Contents

History

Barry Kern (left) and Fitz Kern (right), 3rd and 4th generation at Kern Studios. About-Barry-Fitz-Kern-KernStudios.jpg
Barry Kern (left) and Fitz Kern (right), 3rd and 4th generation at Kern Studios.

A family-run company, Kern Studios dates back to 1932, when Roy Kern an artist who became a sign painter built his first Mardi Gras Float with the help of his young son, Blaine. In 1947, Blaine founded Blaine Kern Artists and began a float-building career and created the most prolific float building company in the world [1] building floats for the New Orleans Mardi Gras. [2]

Kern traveled to Europe to learn more about float building, [3] since gaining an international reputation while designing, building and producing floats, parades, festivals, events and theming for theme parks, museums, sports teams and municipalities worldwide. In 1984, Kern Studios expanded to include Mardi Gras World, a tourist attraction where visitors can see behind-the-scenes of Kern Studios. Barry Kern is the current president and CEO of Kern Studios and Mardi Gras World. [1]

Mardi Gras

Kern Studios is responsible for building Mardi Gras floats used by a variety of New Orleans Mardi Gras krewes each year. It was creating over 300 floats by the 1970s and over 400 floats by the 2010s. [2] The company consistently creates floats for Krewe of Orpheus, Endymion, Rex parade, Krewe of Muses, Krewe of Bacchus, and Krewe of Tucks in addition to several other krewes. The studio also builds floats for Krewe of Boo, [4] New Orleans’ official Halloween krewe.

Corporate Designs

Kern Studios has created themed environments for Harrah's Casinos, including both interior and exterior décor. The Walt Disney Company and Universal Studios are two notable clients for Kern Studios, [5] whose work has been displayed at Disney locations in Paris, Shanghai, and Hong Kong and Universal Studios locations in California, Orlando, and Japan. Kern Studios has also created large-scale artwork for Nickelodeon; Chick-Fil-A; Mars, Incorporated; Coca-Cola, Six Flags; Everland; [6] and the National Football League. In 2010, Kern Studios produced the Saints Super Bowl parade [7] and kickoff parade for Super Bowl XLIV.

Related Research Articles

Krewe

A krewe is a social organization that puts on a parade or ball for the Carnival season. The term is best known for its association with Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, but is also used in other Carnival celebrations around the Gulf of Mexico, such as the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa, Florida, Springtime Tallahassee, and Krewe of Amalee in DeLand, Fl with the Mardi Gras on Mainstreet Parade as well as in La Crosse, Wisconsin and at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival.

Rex is a New Orleans Carnival Krewe which stages one of the city's most celebrated parades on Mardi Gras Day. Rex is Latin for "King", and Rex reigns as "The King of Carnival".

Mardi Gras in New Orleans Celebration held in Louisiana USA

The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in all of Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Usually there is one major parade each day ; many days have several large parades. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the Mardi Gras season. In the final week, many events occur throughout New Orleans and surrounding communities, including parades and balls.

The Krewe of Endymion is a New Orleans Mardi Gras super krewe and social organization.

The Half-Fast Walking Club is a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe founded and historically led by Pete Fountain, until his passing on August 6, 2016. Originally all on foot, in recent decades it has also featured one or two small floats. Fountain and other local jazz musicians played through much of the parade. The krewe's current route, basically unchanged since the mid-1970s, starts at 7 AM on Mardi Gras morning, at world-famous Commander's Palace Restaurant on Washington Avenue in the Garden District. The krewe then proceeds downtown on St. Charles Avenue and after a brief interlude on Canal Street, enters the French Quarter at Bourbon Street, winds around the Quarter and eventually ends up at the Monteleone Hotel in the early afternoon.

Krewe of Tucks is a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe.

KOE, formally known as the Krewe of Elvis, is a Mardi Gras parading organization that consists of members from around the world who meet in New Orleans for Mardi Gras.

Krewe of Bacchus

Krewe of Bacchus is a New Orleans Mardi Gras super krewe.

Krewe of Boo is New Orleans' official Halloween parade krewe. The parade was created by the Mardi Gras World owner and founder Blaine Kern Sr. Krewe members must be at least 18 years of age.

Krewe of Muses

The Krewe of Muses is an all-female super krewe and social organization.

Mardi Gras throws

Mardi Gras throws are strings of beads, doubloons, cups, or other trinkets passed out or thrown from the floats in the New Orleans Mardi Gras, the Mobile Mardi Gras and parades all throughout the Gulf Coast of the United States, to spectators lining the streets. The "gaudy plastic jewelry, toys, and other mementos [are] tossed to the crowds from parading floats". The 'throws', consist of necklaces of plastic beads, coins called doubloons, which are stamped with krewes' logos, parade themes and the year, plus an array of plastic cups and toys such as Frisbees, figurines and LED trinkets. The plastic cups that are used as throws are sometimes referred to as New Orleans dinnerware.

Mystic society

A mystic society is a Mardi Gras social organization in Mobile, Alabama, that presents parades and/or balls for the enjoyment of its members, guests, and the public. The New Orleans Krewe is patterned after Mobile's Mystics. The societies have been based in class, economic and racial groups. Mobile's parading mystic societies build colorful Carnival floats and create costumes around each year's themes.

Tulane University Marching Band

The Tulane University Marching Band (TUMB) is the marching band of Tulane University. It performs at every Tulane Green Wave football home game in Yulman Stadium, bowl games, and some away games. It is also marches in New Orleans Mardi Gras parades each year, having appeared in Le Krewe d'Etat, the Krewe of Thoth, the Krewe of Bacchus, and the Krewe of Rex, among others.

River City Casino (New Orleans)

River City Casino was a twin riverboat casino complex in New Orleans, Louisiana, located one block upriver from New Orleans Morial Convention Center.

Mardi Gras in the United States

Mardi Gras in the United States is not observed nationally across the country, largely due to the country’s Protestant and Anglo roots. Mardi Gras and Carnival are mostly Catholic holidays, while the United States has a Protestant majority population. However, a number of cities and regions in the U.S. have notable Mardi Gras or Carnival celebrations. Most of these places trace their Mardi Gras celebrations to French, Spanish, and other Catholic colonial influences on the settlements over their history. The earliest Carnival celebration in North America occurred at a place on the west bank of the Mississippi river about 60 miles downriver from where New Orleans is today; this Mardi Gras on the 3rd of March 1699 and in honor of this holiday, Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, a 38-year-old French Canadian, named the spot Point du Mardi Gras near Fort Jackson. The earliest organized Carnival celebrations occurred in Mobile, Biloxi, New Orleans, and Pensacola, which have each developed separate traditions. In addition, modern activities generally vary from city to city across the U.S.

Krewe du Vieux New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe

The Krewe du Vieux is a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe more fully known as the Krewe du Vieux Carré.

Mardi Gras World

Mardi Gras World is a tourist attraction located in New Orleans. Guests tour the 300,000 square foot working warehouse where floats are made for Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans. Mardi Gras World is located along the Mississippi River, next to the Morial Convention Center. Their events venue, the River City Complex, also hosts festivals, weddings, private parties and corporate events.

Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus

The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus is a science fiction–themed Mardi Gras krewe, or parade organization, that also features fantasy and horror groups, among other fandoms. Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, as of the 2019 parade, the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus has over 2500 dues-paying members who call themselves "ChewbacchanALIENs" or "Chewbs."

The Mystic Krewe of Nyx is an all-female Carnival Krewe organization, based in New Orleans, which was organized and founded by Julie Lea in 2011. The Nyx's first pageant, "NOLA Reality Reigns," was featured on the St. Charles Avenue Parade Route on February 15, 2012. The Mystic Krewe of Nyx is named after the Greek goddess of the night, Nyx.

Krewe of Cleopatra

The Krewe of Cleopatra is an all female krewe and social organization.

References

  1. 1 2 "Kern Studios: History" . Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  2. 1 2 "Slidell Man Plays Key Role For 30 Years In Building Mardi Gras Floats". The Slidell Independent. February 19, 2011. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
  3. ↑ Advocate, Arthur Hardy Special to The. "Arthur Hardy: A few things you might not know about Mardi Gras Fountain on New Orleans' lakefront" . Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  4. ↑ "8 to Watch: Barry Kern, president of Kern Studios" . Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  5. ↑ "For Mark Olivier, it's Mardi Gras every day – The Colonel". www.nicholls.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  6. ↑ "The Power of Pixie - Biz The Magazine - April 2016". www.bizneworleans.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  7. ↑ "Super Bowl champion Saints set new parade standard" . Retrieved 2016-10-04.
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