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Photographer: Mike Stroud
Taken: July 25, 2008
Caption: A painted Horse of the City of Aiken
Additional Description: It’s hard to pass through the city without noticing the horses reminiscent of the Horse Play days. In October 2003, the Aiken Center for the Arts, United Way and the City of Aiken partnered in the Horse Play project. According to Bill Reynolds, coordinator of Horse Play, the idea was to create 31 unique hand-painted horses to display in the downtown area. Hundreds of artists submitted designs and the submissions were narrowed. Sponsors then selected the designs for their horse, and the paint began to fly. The horses remained on display until the spring of 2004 when they were auctioned at a black tie gala held in conjunction with the Aiken Spring Steeplechase. “About 10 to 12 remain on public display as they were purchased at the auction and donated for permanent public display on public property,” said Reynolds. The horses now serve as a beacon to visitors of the community and enhance the aesthetics for all to enjoy. The city's growing interest in the arts inspired the project, titled Horseplay, which naturally reflects the city's historic status as an equestrian center. Horse towns like Lexington, KY, Saratoga Springs, NY, and Ocala, FL, successfully hosted projects using the horse as the artist's empty canvas.(City of Aiken)
Submitted: April 9, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
Database Locator Identification Number: p104109
File Size: 0.169 Megabytes

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