Mayor Linda Gorton today introduced “Art on the Town,” art carts that will soon make their debut on Town Branch Commons Trail downtown.
“There’s going to be a lot to discover along Town Branch Commons Trail, including our talented arts community,” Gorton said. Construction is winding down on the Trail, with a grand opening planned for this fall. The trail runs through the heart of downtown, stretching from Central Bank Center to Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden.
“Art on the Town” features eight mobile art carts that will be scattered along the trail, typically near the Marriott, and at these corners: Vine and Upper Street, Vine and South Mill Street, and Vine Street and Broadway.
Artists will be able to reserve the carts and use them to sell or demonstrate their work, including paintings, drawings, jewelry, baskets, prints, books, pottery, and more.
The carts will be a new and unique shopping opportunity and a great way to learn more about Lexington’s arts community. Carts will be available only to artists who reside in or have their workplace in Lexington and who are juried into established programs such as the Kentucky Arts Council’s Kentucky Crafted Program or Art, Inc.’s Artist Incubator, among others.
“We want to create opportunities for people to encounter art wherever they go and to explore all that is unique about our Central Kentucky home,” said Heather Lyons, the Mayor’s Director of Arts and Cultural Affairs. “It might be the imagery created by the artists, the materials that they use, or the contemporary adaptations of traditional designs, but artwork tells a story and connects people to a specific time, place or location. When people engage with the artists who created the art, then those connections are made even stronger.”
The carts will appear on the Trail beginning in June. Artists interested the program can review program eligibility and other guidelines at lexingtonky.gov/aott. For additional information, call Lyons at (859) 258-3123.
The Mayor thanked Blue Grass Community Foundation / Knight Foundation and VisitLEX for providing start-up costs for the program. The City also provided support.
Lisa Adkins, president/CEO, Blue Grass Community Foundation, said, “We are grateful for Knight Foundation and its lead gift of $75,000 that made these beautiful and functional art carts possible. We can’t wait to see how Art on the Town will engage artists, neighbors and visitors, while fostering new economic opportunity.”
