"Grandma, what are all the angel horses doing here?" asked the 6-year-old granddaughter of a Dare County Arts Council board member.

I smiled as I thought of the girl’s choice of words: angel horses. Indeed, they are angel horses. When we embarked upon hosting the Winged Horse Extravaganza, we had no idea how many lives this public art project would touch. And we couldn’t have dreamed how many stories, acquaintances and new friends would spring from this endeavor.

"But is it art?" grumble some who take an "ad"-versarial stance toward promoting anyone’s business or cause with a fancifully decorated fiberglass horse. No, it’s not mainstream art, and that leads us to an age-old debate of what, exactly, is art. I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions, but for me, if one of our horses brings a smile to someone’s face, if it conjures up images of pirates and treasure hunts, if it makes you wonder just how it could ever fly with its disproportionate wings, if it makes you want to go create something with your own mind and hands, or if it makes a 6-year-old child think of angels, then it is art.

Our "angel horses" are here to accomplish a variety of tasks: they represent our community’s pride in the Wright brothers’ achievements; they symbolize profound individual sentiments of their sponsors and artists; they entertain locals and visitors; and they’re here to raise funds for a number of worthwhile charities. Most important, they’re here to spark conversations and to celebrate the limitless potential of imagination and creativity.

With this issue, I wish you desire — desire to question, to create, and to make a difference.