A Canvas of Silks, is the brainchild of LexArts, the same LexArts who brought Horse Mania to life for the World Equestrian Games in 2010 and twice more since then. A Canvas of Silks is 54 helmeted jockeys’ busts, made of resin and sitting atop Makers Mark Bourbon barrels.
“Everyone loves this public art project, piece of it, because the whole community gets to enjoy and have fun with these pieces. So, right, we wanted to do something for the Breeders Cup, but something a little more attainable, you know, only so many people can take home a painted horse. And so we wanted to do something a little more accessible and attainable for really anyone in the community.”
Ame Sweetall is the President and CEO of LexArts, and says the concept for A Canvas of Silks was a collective idea, but also something of an organic one:
“A canvas of silks is obviously a nod to our equine history, our artist, our amazing creative artistry and culture here in Lexington. But yeah, when we were getting ready to plan activities for the Breeders Cup and the Breeders Cup Festival, ended up talking to the organizers of the festival and said, what can we do to really bring our visitors, residents, everyone around to kind of get into that spirit of what's happening in the Breeders Cup and those sorts of things, so we went round and round and we ended up landing on these amazing sculptures. They're jockey forms. So it's the silks of the jockey with the hat on a form on top”.
54 local artists submitted designs and six weeks later, the once blank, white busts are a riot of color and creativity, each one unique, and each telling a different story.
Holly Cummings, a Kentucky native, had just moved to Florida when she created Horse of a Different Shell for Horse Mania in 2010. She ultimately bought her horse, which she calls HODS, and donated it to the Headley Whitney Museum where it lives today. A decade and a half later, she’s submitted a new piece titled Let Her Sole and Spirit Ride, decorated with some of the same shells, but also with ones she’s picked out with her family.
“So we lived in Florida, and 2 years ago Hurricane Helene took our house. We headed north because the 2nd hurricane was coming, which was Hurricane Milton, and we ended up staying for 2 years here in Kentucky. So my daughters and my husband, whose Florida, born and raised, have got to spend time in our beautiful, wonderful state. But this summer, a job has taken me back to Florida. And then I saw the call to artists for the Canvas of Silks, and I thought, this is absolutely amazing, that now HODS is going to get the jockey she deserves. And so the original project was about, it was about the journey of getting out of your comfort zone, leaving your home and going closer to the coast, somewhere that's very inspiring for me. And so coming back here for 2 years and then all of a sudden turn around and going back, this is about the journey itself of, you know, let her soul and spirit ride because sometimes you just got to kick your shoes off and enjoy, chase the waves, chase the sunsets. And that's what we're doing with our family. And so that's kind of the inspiration for let her soul and spirit ride.”
Artist Ken Burney has been sitting on the inspiration for his piece, On The Way To Victory, for a couple of years.
“My piece was created out of, actually, I did 3 paintings back in 2024 for the Governor, for his Derby celebration poster. Of course, he only chose one and there were 2 other paintings that were left from that group of three. The 2nd one went to an organization in Covington, Kentucky, and I kept a 3rd. The 3rd, this is a copy, just a piece of the 3rd painting that I created for my jockeys.”
His silks depict two famous jockeys neck and neck, their faces clearly visible, Isaac Murphy and Oliver Lewis.
“Two of the jockeys that were a part of the group that won the 1st Kentucky Derbies. Yeah, so definitely celebrating them was another opportunity as well as to, you know, be able to be a part of so many other artists and their creativity and ideas and expressions. But definitely. And another opportunity to celebrate the black jockeys, you know.”
Cassandra Vogl’s jockey, Colores De Silla, was the result of a team effort:
“My piece has the flags of Central and South America. I was here at Thursday Night Live, celebrating with all the community, and what we did was we had community members help us paint. So a lot of people said, I'm not an artist. I said, that's fine. I just need you to paint a square or a stripe. And so with those squares and stripes, we were able to construct the flags of central and South America, and that represents the people behind the industry.”
Art is a hobby for Vogl, but one that’s funding her campaign for local government.
“So where I live in Cardinal Valley, we're very multicultural, multilingual. I wrote a grant for multilingual signage in the parks many years ago. And I've been building off of that momentum. I'm always about giving back to our community. If we want our community members to be engaged, to be active members of the community, they have to feel like they belong. And this is a way of showing them that they belong. When you move here, you're Lexingtonian. No matter where you're from, you belong.”
By the time you hear this, the 54 jockeys will be in Gatton Park, but they’ll return to Tandy Park at the end of the month for the Breeders Cup Festival. Following that, any still unsold will be auctioned, with all proceeds benefitting LexArts.
