Local artists are being invited to showcase their creative talent and design the horses that will form an interactive sculpture trail across North Lincolnshire this summer.
The ‘Horsing Around’ trail is one of a host of activities taking place locally to celebrate the 300th birthday of world-renowned horse painter, George Stubbs, and his little-known connection to North Lincolnshire.
The project, which is funded with government cash to level up the area, will see ten life size horses displayed in prominent locations, and a further ten miniature horses appear in the 300-acre grounds of Normanby Hall Country Park.
The trail will build on the hugely successful ‘Of Earth and Sky’, which inspired more people to visit North Lincolnshire to see local writers’ poems writ large in a series of huge installations, winning a prestigious Hearts for the Arts Award in the process.
Now, applications are open for artists to design their horse and see their work enjoyed by thousands of people.
As part of the process, artists will work with local schools and community groups to inform the designs, including the North Lincolnshire Museum’s group for adults with additional needs, Museum Makers.
The trail will celebrate local people’s talent as well as the diversity of visual arts, and consequently, all forms of art are welcome, from traditional to new media, fine art to illustrations, and mosaic to street art.
Whichever form the artworks take, they will form the interactive trail, developed with the help of leading public art specialists, Wild in Art, who have worked on top projects at the London 2012 Olympics, the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and more.
After the trail has finished sculptures will be offered to the schools and community groups who informed the designs. If they wish, sculptures will be auctioned to raise money for the Mayor of North Lincolnshire’s chosen charities, Hope House and Macmillan Cancer Support.
George Stubbs’ influential book The Anatomy of the Horse was first published in 1766
One of the country’s most revered equestrian painters, George Stubbs completed much of the work for his groundbreaking book ‘The Anatomy of the Horse’, while living in Horkstow.
This local connection is explored in an exciting new exhibition at Normanby Hall Country Park this year. ‘Stubbs in the Stables’ shows amazing images of Stubbs’ work, alongside a life-sized horse model painted to show the bones and muscles.
Artists can view the ‘Horsing Around’ artists pack online, design their horse and fill out submissions form for free on the North Lincolnshire Museum website. Hurry, submissions close on 22 April 2024!
The project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025.
The fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.
Additional funding comes from Arts Council England through the Humber Museums Partnership, of which North Lincolnshire Museums is a partner.
Featured image shows a model of a horse, painted to show the bones and muscles, by Gillian Higgins from Horses Inside Out. The horse, called George is currently on display at Normanby Hall Country Park as part of their George Stubbs exhibition.
