By Heather Lyons, Director of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Mayor’s Office
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During the 2023 season, 41 local artists used the mobile art carts 265 times at events such as the downtown Farmer’s Markets, Thursday Night Live, LexArts Gallery Hops and numerous other downtown fairs and festivals. Photo furnished
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Local artists David Napier and Tara Modjeski. Photo furnished
Artists, and their works of art (in all art forms), enrich the physical, environmental, social, and inspirational elements of a community. Art brings us together and helps to create a shared sense of place. In Lexington, local artists are important small business owners and are tremendous cultural ambassadors for Lexington. The stories and imagery that they share with the public enable residents and visitors to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of this unique city.
These are some of the reasons that the City of Lexington created Art on the Town, a mobile art cart program that puts local artists front and center in downtown Lexington. Easily rolled to various downtown venues, the mobile carts are available free to eligible artists to sell, demonstrate and display their artwork. The carts provide additional sales venues for artists and can help them build and expand the customer base for their work. The artists and the carts enliven and enrich downtown events and some artists create new work on-site, providing visitors a close-up view of the artistic process.
During the 2023 season, 41 local artists used the carts 265 times at events such as the downtown Farmer’s Markets, Thursday Night Live, LexArts Gallery Hops and numerous other downtown fairs and festivals. At the start of its third season, the program now has 10 carts and includes a roster of over 50 local artists including painters, printmakers, jewelers, fiber artists, woodturners, garden artists, authors and creators of candles, personal lotions and soaps. The city looks forward to continuing to build the program by establishing new events such as holiday arts markets in downtown Lexington and identifying indoor opportunities for year-round sales.
Many cities are looking for ways to support their artists and creative small businesses and to re-vitalize downtown areas. Following an article on Art on the Town in the October, 2022 issue of The Municipal, numerous city governments, from Maine to Colorado, have contacted us to learn more about the program and how they might replicate it in their own city. We hope that Art on the Town will encourage other communities to establish similar programs in support of the arts.
Kentucky artists with experience in exhibiting and selling their artwork may learn more and apply at www.lexingtonky.gov/art-on-the-town. Following the application process, artists attend an orientation session and are then able to sign up for the carts based on their own availability and interests.
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Local artist Yolanda Kennison. Photo furnished
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An artist cart featuring the work of local artist Gloria Arteaga. Photo furnished