This year, students were challenged with the prompt EPIC BATTLE. The open-ended theme invited interpretations ranging from allegories of personal or social struggle to literal clashes between rival forces.

In keeping with the show’s spirit, juniors in KCAI’s Paper & Ink course were directed to draw on animal symbolism: predators and prey locked in conflict, such as crows versus rabbits or wolves against birds. They also were allowed to reimagine the larger-than-life personas of the Freight Train Rabbit Killers themselves within their visual narratives.

According to event details, the artwork will accompany a soundtrack that traces an epic journey through the spiritual and the profane with stories of redemption, loss, and confrontation. As described by the band, “The Rabbit Killer is a spirit shaman in the form of a rabbit. Don't let reality fool you, ‘cause this rabbit is on a mission to hunt all of the High sheriffs of predation to work his way to Satan and take him back where he came from. Freight Train, a vigilante naturally or unnaturally bent on justice, on a mission to purge the world of its predators feeding on the innocent.”

The event will also include a themed Costume Contest with three categories: Best Wound, celebrating creative textile-based designs like bleeding red yarn, threads of “hemoglobin,” or silk-circle blood drops; Best Predator Costume, inviting participants to embody creatures such as pigs, birds, dogs, cats, or snakes; and Best Prey Costume, honoring the softer side of the struggle with rabbit or bunny-inspired looks.

The Illustration course Paper & Ink is taught by Associate Professor Héctor Casanova, Adjunct Professor Michelle Dreher, and Adjunct Professor Brent Watkinson.

Image: Valentine Queen (Junior | Illustration)