Bedford County, TN artists are invited to submit their designs for The Fly Arts Center's public art installation campaign, Champions On Parade. Upon approval, each artist will be paid a $1,000 stipend due at completion. Each artist's name will be included, along with the horse sponsor and horse host, on a permanent plaque on the horse statue's chest. 

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An artist studio space is available in the lower level of The Fly Arts Center for approved artists to use to paint their horses. If you choose to complete your horse off-site, you are responsible for the transport of your horse, and are liable for any damage incurred in transport.

Please review the following guidelines and then fill out the form below.

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Design Guidelines

All designs must be appropriate to be displayed in public for all ages. No profanity, nudity or other elements that may be considered inappropriate may appear in your design. In addition, designs may not include political statements or symbols, in accordance with our 501(c)3 nonprofit status. 

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No copyrighted characters, logos or products may be used without the permission of the copyright holder. A release form signed by the original copyright holder must be submitted for proof of permission.

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Paints, Topcoats and Weatherproofing

Champions On Parade statues will be placed in areas fully accessible to the public. Although a few horses
may be in indoor locations, most will be outdoors. In creating a design, please consider carefully the weather and other elements of nature, including sun, rain, wind and dirt. We cannot guarantee whether a given horse will be placed indoors or in a weather-protected location.

Additionally, the public may touch and feel the completed Champions On Parade horses. As such, designs should be created with durability and public safety concerns in mind.

Although objects may be attached to the horses, artists should be aware that vandalism can occur. Any object added to a horse must be attached in such a way that it cannot be easily removed.

The surface of each horse is primed by the manufacturer. You will not need to reapply a primer. Acrylic paint, artificial resin paint or two-component paint should be used to paint the horses. A minimum of three coats of varnish is required using a two-part, hard gloss varnish. This step is critical to the ultimate durability of your horse, and horses which are submitted unvarnished or which are incorrectly varnished may not be exhibited.

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Installation and Repair of Horses
Artists will not be responsible for the installation or removal of the horses, as The Fly Arts Center will manage this process. Artists should, however, be available for any possible touch-up work that may be required once the exhibition is underway.

All horses will require touch-up and cleaning prior to the auction. Artists are expected to be available to make these touch-ups during the weeks preceding the auction.

Additional Design Guidelines & Rules

    • A design theme related to our unique local history and/or cultural heritage for horses is encouraged.

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    • Only artists from Bedford County, TN may apply.

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    • All designs will be reviewed by a committee at The Fly Arts Center for approval.

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    • Artists will receive approval notification at the email address provided below.

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    • Artists may submit more than one design for consideration. However, once an artist has one design

       chosen, none of their additional designs may be used in the campaign. This is to give the greatest

       number of artists opportunities to participate in the campaign.

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    • Not all approved artist designs will be used. Application acceptance does not guarantee production of

       of a horse statue, and the artist is only entitled to the stipend upon completion of their horse statue. 

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    • The Fly Arts Center reserves the right to refuse any design, for any reason. 

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    • The Fly Arts Center retains ownership of all horse statues until each has been purchased through auction.

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    • Once a design is applied to a horse, the artist releases all rights to their design to The Fly Arts Center and

       must sign an artist release contract.​​​

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There is a design submission sheet that artists may choose to download and use to create their concept art for the submission process. Download the Artist Submission Sheet >

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The Artist's Contract & Copyright Release

Please make sure to review the Artist's Contract prior to submitting your application. Upon approval of your design, you will need to print and sign the Artist's Contract. View Artist's Contract >

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For questions, please email us.