Spring planning is underway for the ‘Art on the Town’ mobile art carts.
Lexington’s Art on the Town program provides mobile art carts to local artists and authors in downtown Lexington to sell or demonstrate their work.
Art on the Town artists include painters, printmakers, jewelers, woodworkers, fiber artists, basket makers, garden artists, authors and creators of natural soaps and lotions.
“The mobile art carts have been widely popular in Lexington,” Mayor Linda Gorton said. “Art on the Town allows our residents and visitors to come together to support and learn from our talented and diverse arts community.”
Starting in March, the program is coming back for a third year. Kentucky artists who are new to the program are invited to submit an application and attend an upcoming Artist Orientation Session. For newcomers, artist orientations are required to be a part of the program, and will be held at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 8, or 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 20. Interested artists may reserve a spot by emailing Heather Lyons, Lexington Director of Arts and Cultural Affairs, at hlyons@lexingtonky.gov. Reservations are required.
Following the completion of an application and participation in the required Artist Orientation, artists will become a part of the “Art on the Town” roster, and may schedule carts, at no cost.
Kentucky artists and craftspeople who are juried into established programs, such as Kentucky Crafted, Art Inc., or the Kentucky Guild, or have been selected for art exhibits or fairs, are encouraged to apply.
“Artists and their artwork reflect our local culture, and have the power to inspire us and connect us through their creativity,” Lyons said. “Art on the Town’s colorful presence in downtown Lexington has been enthusiastically received from our local community, as well as from visitors and tourists. The Art on the Town artists are friendly ambassadors, and important small businesses in our community. We are delighted to see the program so rapidly increasing opportunities for artists to sell their work to local, national, and international audiences.”
For the 2023 season, 41 artists used the art carts at a total of 64 events. Throughout the season, the carts were used a total of 265 times at events including the Farmer’s Market, Thursday Night Live, and numerous downtown fairs and festivals.
For more information, go to lexingtonky.gov/aott.
