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Ocala
Friday, March 29, 2024

Horse Fever 20/20 artists and patrons announced at special ‘Holiday with the Herd’ event

The Marion Cultural Alliance on Thursday hosted “Holiday with the Herd” to introduce the artists to the patrons who purchased a life-size horse for their business, home, or in some cases, a city park.

Artists, patrons and dignitaries gathered this past Thursday at Transformco, located at 655 S.W. 52nd Avenue in Ocala, for the ‘Holiday with the Herd’ event.

The event, held at Transformco at 655 S.W. 52nd Avenue in Ocala, provided a chance for the artists and patrons to meet while surrounded by the pre-painted horses that arrived last Friday from Chicago. The artists were selected through a competitive call to artists. Jurors from the region selected the designs from more than 50 submissions.

Following the event, the artists loaded their horses and transported them to studios throughout the county and region, where they have six weeks to complete the creative process. Horses are to be completed by Feb. 1, 2021 and will be on public display in the spring before they are installed at the location of the patron’s choice.

The Horse Fever 20/20 artists include Gary Borse, Tyrus Clutter, Bonnie Eades, Michell K. Farrar, Carlynne Hershberger, Christopher Hershberger, Mark Hershberger, Gene Hotaling, Esta Mann, Ronda Richley, Christian Stanley, Paul Ware, Margaret Watts, and Maggie Weakley.

The patrons include CenterState Bank; Cone Distributing, Inc; On Top of the World Communities, LLC.; Diane Palmer; Showcase Properties of Central Florida; Syndicate (Advent Health Ocala, Angie Lewis State Farm, Ausley Construction, Duke Energy, HDG Hotels, Navros and Azim Saju, Jo Salyers, Raney’s, Inc., Neighborhood Storage); The David & Lisa Midgett Foundation and three anonymous donors.

The horses that will be painted by specially chosen artists were recently delivered to Transformco, located at 655 S.W. 52nd Avenue in Ocala.

“HF 20/20 is a celebration of the beauty, the value and the extraordinary resilience of the arts in our community, said Laurie Zink, Horse Fever 20/20 co-chair, who also has been involved with each of the three prior herds. “Public art has the unique power to animate our spaces, to build stronger communities and to make our dreams and aspirations visible for the world to see.”

“This new herd is a phenomenal way to celebrate MCA’s 20th anniversary, as well as add new public art to our community,” added Co-Chair Jo Salyers.

HF 20/20 is sponsored by the Marion Cultural Alliance and Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association. In the spirit of the Horse Fever Public Art Project, first launched in 2001, funds raised through HF 20/20 will benefit the ability of Marion Cultural Alliance to fund grants, support local arts and community nonprofits, and ensure the continued growth of the agency’s endowment.