| By Geoff Hilton |
| The
ingredients for this creative concoction are paint, fiberglass and wings. Whoa.
Definitely not a recipe you’ll find in any cookbooks by Emeril Lagasse,
Wolfgang Puck or Martha Stewart. |
| Where
will you find these diverse elements coming together? Just be on the lookout
next year for various locations throughout these barrier islands that will
proudly display one of 100 painted fiberglass “winged horses.”
What’s with all this “horse play,” you say? Some kind of
“flight” of fancy? |
| Actually, it’s a not-for-profit endeavor
designed to send area spirits soaring with pride as the 2003 Centennial
Celebration of the “first powered flight in a heavier-than-air
machine” draws closer. So, if Regis Philbin ever asks you when the Wright
brothers made aviation history on the sand dunes of Kill Devil Hills, tell him:
“December 1903, and that’s my final answer.” |
Painting and Pegasus: Perfect Together |
| While
driving back through Norfolk, Virginia from a recent business trip, Outer Banks
Press President Linda Lauby noticed the city’s popular “Mermaids on
Parade” exhibit and thought: “Why not come up with our own special
event for The Outer Banks to coincide with the 2003 Centennial
Celebration?” |
| Linda,
who appropriately happens to be a Kitty Hawk resident, thought that another
spirited Outer Banks symbol – the roaming wild horses that survived the
islands’ “Graveyard of the Atlantic” shipwreck history –
would combine nicely with flight to form a unifying source of area pride.
“The ‘equus above us’ theme just seems perfect for The Outer
Banks,” says Linda. “Not only does Pegasus – the winged horse of
Greek myth – embody the obvious combination of horse and flight, but
Pegasus is also a constellation – and purported to be the source of poetic
inspiration. Norfolk may have its mermaids, and Chicago and Zurich, Switzerland
have had their ‘Cows on Parade’ exhibits, but now we’ve got our
own ‘uplifting’ symbol to help get the Centennial Celebration off the
ground.” |
| The
formal marketing plan will be introduced this summer, and the 100 unpainted
white fiberglass horses should be available for purchase in early
2002. |
| “We
want to generate excitement for this once-in-a-lifetime project among artists,
business people, visitors and the general population,” says Linda.
“To have these winged horses on display at sites all along the Outer Banks
is really going to be a marvelous sight. And, all of the decorated horses will
eventually be returned to one location for the culmination of this effort: our
December 2003 charitable auction.” |
| Proceeds Destined for Area Charities |
| When
individuals or organizations decide to sponsor a horse, they may then choose
their own artist, or Outer Banks Press can suggest an artist from a list of
area participants. Sponsors have the option of putting the colorful horses on
display at their place of business, or arranging for them to be placed in
alternate Outer Banks “stables” to be determined. However, as the
curtain closes on 2003, all of the horses will go up for bid at the “100
Winged Horses” charitable auction. |
| During
the auction, all of the previous sponsors are certainly encouraged to
“permanently” purchase their painted horses if they wish to do so.
Leading up to the auction, sponsorship benefits include advertising on many
levels and the ability to support a worthwhile cause, plus invitations to
receptions, and a tax deduction. Sponsors have the opportunity to display
original artwork at their place of business, which will be visited by the many
people touring the exhibit. |
|
“The spirit of this event is to merge art and commerce in a visual
celebration of the 100-year anniversary of man’s first powered
flight,” says Linda. Along with organizing the event and generating the
publicity surrounding the installation and auction, Outer Banks Press plans to
commemorate the event by publishing a full-color book of all 100 horses —
mentioning the artists and sponsors — to be sold as a special memento.
Visitors will also be able to take a “virtual tour” of the exhibit
through the Outer Banks Press web site, www.outerbankspress.com. Steve
Alterman, the photographer responsible for the last two covers of The
Edge, has agreed to shoot the photos for this keepsake book. |
| Perhaps
even the spirit of nineteenth-century English poet and essayist Matthew Arnold
will be felt in The Outer Banks throughout the coming months. After all, he
penned The Forsaken
Merman: |
Now the great winds shorewards
blow;
Now the salt tides seawards flow;
Now the wild white horses play,
Champ and chafe and toss in the spray. |
» For more information about this event, please visit our Winged Horse Extravaganza section. |
