Back by popular demand: Art of the Horse issues call for artists, sponsors for second project

Published 2:37 pm Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Horses I Have Loved, located at FENCE, Tryon, N.C.

Horses I Have Loved, located at FENCE, Tryon, N.C. (Photo by Claire Sachse)

Our Carolina Foothills is pleased to announce the return of Art Of The Horse. In conjunction with the World Equestrian Games that will take place at Tryon International Equestrian Center from Sept. 10-23, 2018 and bring in nearly 500,000 people to the area, the second edition of this 18-month community art project seemed a perfect fit.

During the first Art Of The Horse project, 16 life-size fiberglass horses in three Thoroughbred stances (grazing, walking and standing) were on public display in the Foothills towns of Landrum, Tryon, Columbus and Saluda from April to September of 2016. Of those 16 horses, eight remain on public display and will be included in the 2018 project.

This year’s theme is One World. One Vision. Currently, we are in the artist submission phase, which will run until the end of March. Anyone interested in submitting artwork may request an artist prospectus package. An individual or group of artists may submit as many designs as they wish for consideration. Artists must live or have a studio space within a 100-mile radius of the Foothills. All submissions will be judged and voted on by a blind jury.

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Art of the Horse’s One World. One Vision artists will be announced at the Tryon Block House Races kickoff cocktail party held at Tryon International Equestrian Center on Saturday, April 14, 2017. At this time, the 2016 “special commission” horse will also be unveiled.

Once artist selection is completed, Our Carolina Foothills will secure sponsors for each horse and match sponsors with artists. Although this phase has not officially begun, we are currently speaking to people who have expressed interest in becoming a sponsor. Horses will be on public display from April through September 2018 and the project will commence with an auction gala event in October 2018.

This year’s Art Of The Horse will offer five different horse stances. We have increased the options of horse bodies to reflect the expanded selection of riding disciplines that will be offered in our area during WEG.

This year’s additions to the three Thoroughbred horses will be the addition of an Arabian Horse and a Quarter Horse. Our Carolina Foothills initial plans are for 30 horses to be displayed throughout the Foothills towns of Landrum, Tryon, Columbus and Saluda and neighboring areas.

As a non-profit formed exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, Our Carolina Foothills focuses on educating the public on the small towns in the Carolina Foothills through marketing campaigns and events that highlight the uniqueness of our area. For more information on this project, please contact Mindy Wiener at mindy@ourcarolinafoothills.com or Suzanne Strickland at ourcarolinafoothills@gmail.com.

Submitted by Mindy Wiener