Bringing a new burst of color and creativity to the streets, the Kingsport Cultural Arts has recently showcased a vibrant array of carousel horses – the Carousel Horse Brigade – to mark a decade since the Kingsport Carousel started spinning joy in the heart of the city. Last Saturday's Kingsport Arts Festival saw the debut of these six fiberglass steeds, each painted by a different artist and backed by local business sponsors, reminiscent of an initiative from two years back that paraded painted goats through town.
The brigade lines up a striking herd with names like Kelpie, Prosperity, and Spirit, and they are not just staying put in some gallery. According to the City of Kingsport, these horses trot along Broad Street and appear at the Kingsport Carousel over the summer. They're set to play a central role in the birthday bash. Local creatives like Michelle Hamilton from Gallery Petite and Mercedes Brown of Mercy Berry Art have dipped their brushes into this initiative, bringing their varied artistic styles to each sculpture. Engage Kingsport, Northeast State Community College, and Leadership Kingsport are just a few of the local entities who've thrown their hats into the sponsor's ring, or should we say, the carousel's ring.
Kingsport locals can't forget those fiberglass goats, and who would blame them? They came, they saw, they conquered the community's hearts with a unique flavor of street art that captured attention and lodged itself firmly in the town's collective memory. "The fiberglass goats were a huge success and are still a popular form of public art throughout the city," Kristie Leonard, Kingsport's Special Events and Cultural Arts Manager, stated, as detailed by the City of Kingsport news release, "People still comment to me about seeing the goats on display."
