Artist to gallop across country on charity fundraiser
Published: April 18, 2007
This summer, artist Jan Clare is taking a different kind of road trip.
In June, the Valley woman will leave on a six-month cross-country autograph hunt. Her sidekick on the “HorsePower Tour” will be a raspberry-colored, life-size plastic horse, bolted securely in the back of a painted-to-match 1959 El Camino pickup truck. The 200-pound statue is one of Clare’s stable of two dozen similar artworks created by her Phoenix company, Kaleidoscope Horses.
Clare plans to cover 30,000 miles on her nationwide odyssey, which will begin at an art festival in Des Moines, Iowa, at the end of June. She will stop along the journey in an effort to gather autographs on the eye-popping horse from up to 200 well-known women such as Billie Jean King, Oprah, Barbara Bush and Angelina Jolie.
The horse will be auctioned when Clare returns to the Valley at year’s end. Proceeds will fund the manufacture and sale of miniature versions of the statues via an online store. A portion of each sale will benefit charities such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Horses Help, and the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona.
The idea is adapted from Jay Leno’s popular celebrity-autographed motorcycles.
“The last motorcycle Jay Leno sold went for $810,000,” Clare said, adding that her goal is to raise at least $500,000 from the trip.
“These horses might not have a motor that makes them get up and go, but they’re works of art.”
The road trip “is a grand way to inspire women across the country to do their own version of ‘outrageous fabulosity,’ ” the ebullient Clare said. “The most effective way I could think of to raise not only money but public awareness of the power of women was to do something wild.”
According to Clare, “eighty percent of all purchases in this country are made by women, but we’re still overlooked. I’m hoping to shine a positive spotlight on women everywhere, especially in male-dominated industries.”
The 51-year old Clare doesn’t consider herself a feminist or a political wannabe, however. Instead, the free-spirited sprite is out to spread a little good-natured fun, all in the name of art.
“There are many people who are contributing to making this trip happen, both male and female. I appreciate every one of them,” she said.
Clare, who graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in music, worked in theater and broadcasting before moving to the Valley in 2004. She formed the Kaleidoscope Horse project in partnership with local non-profit Horses Help, a therapeutic riding organization, the following year.
The company was launched as a way to create a community art project that would draw attention to local and national charities.
The idea of creating life-size horse statues didn’t originate with the artist, however.
A group of artists in Zurich, Switzerland, hosted a community art event in 1998 that featured life-size, whimsically painted cow statues. The following year, Chicago duplicated the event as a citywide art project. Other cities have used fish, butterflies, alligators and even pigs for the statues.
Clare chose horses “because we’re in the West,” and the name Kaleidoscope to promote her idea of zany fun “even though it’s hard to spell.”
Each $5,000 horse is created from reinforced polymer resin, the same material used to make fast food restaurant booths (”and most of Disneyland,” Clare quips).
A group of volunteer artists paints the statues, with most of the designs created by Clare. Statues have been painted to commemorate fire safety, environmental conservation and Hurricane Katrina relief, with costs for each horse underwritten by sponsors. The statues are “stabled” at Horses Help headquarters in north Phoenix.
The works of art have been showcased at the Arizona State Fair, Phoenix Art Museum, and various malls and art shows around the Valley.
The company’s mascot, “Pennies from Heaven,” was displayed at this year’s Fiesta Bowl Parade.
Clare and a fellow artist spent 48 hours attaching 5,000 new pennies onto the horse in a swirling pattern to showcase the power of a single small contribution.
Valley artist Erin Conway painted a statue titled Starry, Starry Night for the sponsor, the Arizona Epilepsy Foundation, in 2005. The horse, which took Conway three weeks to complete, was a tribute to Vincent Van Gogh, who was reputed to have epilepsy.
Conway, who painted her creation at Arrowhead mall, found that the unusual art display “really helped boost people’s awareness” of the condition.
“People came back every day to watch me work, and many of them wanted to tell me they had epilepsy or knew someone who did,” Conway said. “The horses are a lighthearted way to bring attention to important issues.”
Conway predicts that Clare’s summer tour will also bring success.
“When they see the horses, people want to be involved with the project,” Conway said, adding that in her experience “no one has had anything negative to say. People just want to volunteer and help out.”
Clare’s gutsy approach is sure to get plenty of attention - and autographs, Conway said.
“Jan has such vision; she’s a force to be reckoned with,” Conway said.
“Whoever would have thought of driving around the country with a horse in the back of your truck?”
And the truck that will motor this display around the country is sure to get as much attention as the statue, Clare said.
“It’s a rare vehicle with big wings and lots of chrome,” Clare said. “It looks totally strange, so of course it’s perfect for this artistic endeavor.”
Clare has nailed down $20,000 of in-kind sponsorships for the tour. Business owned by woman are contributing graphics, public relations and financial donations as well. The artist predicts that the total cost of the trek will be between $130,000 and $150,000.
Although Clare has no firm commitments on the celebrity endorsements of her horse, she isn’t worried.
“The magic of this type of tour is that when you get out there and start banging on doors, amazing things happen,” she said.
“Everything about this trip is truly ‘The Little Engine That Could.’ ”
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