Blazing a Philanthropic Trail

The creativity that characterizes The Trail of Painted Ponies doesn’t stop with the imaginative transformation of horses into amazing works of art. From our beginnings as a New Mexico-based public art project, creative philanthropy has been an important part of the way we do business.

As practiced by The Trail, philanthropy has never taken the form of simply donating money to a non-profit organzation, no matter how worthy the cause. It has been our belief that the times call for fresh ideas when it comes to fundraising, and that non-profit organizations should be participants, not simply recipients, in creative marketing programs from which they benefit. They should be business partners, in other words.

We have received a fair amount of publicity for promoting new fundraising paradigms, as well as being responsible for raising over $1 million dollars for worthwhile youth, educational, cultural, animal and environmental organizations. And it has been our pleasure to partner with some of the finest non-profit organizations in the world who recognize the value of this approach, particularly at a time when charities everywhere are facing financial headwinds.  Click here to view our Philanthropic Partnerships.

The story behind the Painted Pony “Spirit of the Seasons,”  created by Caroline Carpio, a Tewa Native of the Isleta Pueblo and a nationally acclaimed potter, which was just released this summer, is a prime example of an innovative way we give back. In 2001, the very first year of our existence, we set up a display of life-size Ponies painted by Native Artists in front of the Eldorado Hotel in Santa Fe during Indian Market in August. They were crowd-stoppers. I will never forget the giggling group of muslim girls in burakas who wanted their pictures taken in front of “Willing,” the Virgil Ortiz Pony dressed in black leather and silver studs. At a certain point over the weekend a man introduced himself to me as Gary Avey. He said he was the creator and publisher of Native Peoples,Magazine, a prestigious national magazine dedicated to Native arts and culture. He said he was fascinated by the way people were responding to the Ponies, and that somehow, some way, he wanted to find a way for us to work together on a program that benefited young Native artists. Although neither of us had any ideas at the time, we agreed to stay in touch.

Tewa potter Caroline Carpio with the original Masterwork, "Spirit of the Seasons"

Fast forward six years to 2007. Sadly, Gary Avey had passed away. The Trail had relocated in Scottsdale, Arizona. And we were contacted by the acting president of the Heard Museum Guild, Barbara Johnson. The Heard Museum is a world-class Indian Arts and Culture Museum in Phoenix, the Guild is composed of volunteers who support the museum and hold an annual Indian Fair and Market, the Guild was celebrating its 50-year anniversary, and its president was wondering if there were some way The Trail of Painted Ponies could contribute.

The upshot of a series of brainstorming sessions was that in Gary Avey’s name, The Trail donated four of our cast-marble Masterwork forms to the Guild, who issued a call for designs from Native artists affiliated with The Heard Museum. Four artists were selected to create original Painted Ponies, members and the public was invited to purchase drawing tickets priced at $100 to win one, and all proceeds would benefit the Heard Museum Guild American Indian Student Art Endowment Fund.

 The total amount of money raised was $ 45,000… but our fundraising efforts do not stop at a dollar amount. We feel it is important to monitor the return on dollars raised, so that in the future we can tell people their “contributions” have truly served the public good, and are agents of change. With this in mind I contacted the current Heard Museum Guild President and politely asked for an update. I was told that the monies raised from the Painted Ponies Project had been added to the Student Art Workshop Endowment Fund, which among other things, sponsored 10 Blue Ribbon winners from the Annual Student Art Show, who in turn were invited to spend a week at the Arizona State University West Campus immersed in classes taught by ASU Professors. The students were all high school seniors and they came from a number of different Tribes. Many of these students, I was told, went on to college after graduation, have continued with their art, and have served as interns at the Heard Museum.

The Trail of Painted Ponies continues to blaze a trail of support for communities and worthy non-profit organizations. Beginning October 1, 2009, The Trail of Painted Ponies is inviting everyone across the country and around the world to shop to “Support Your Local Retailer.” That’s right, we are inviting collectors to shop locally to support retailers in their community. Key retailers will be hosting Painted Ponies Holiday Parties in their stores and The Trail of Painted Ponies will make donations to non-profit organizations who partner with Trail of Painted Ponies Retailers. Please join us in this effort to support retailers and communities across America and around the world. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

For all of our online shoppers, we hope that you will continue to purchase from the Official Trail of Painted Ponies Store. Beginning October 1, 2009, we will be offering a 15% savings on all purchases PLUS The Trail of Painted Ponies will donate to support the arts, education, animals and the environment. So, the more you shop, the more we donate!  To Shop Online CLICK HERE.

Wherever you purchase your gifts and collectibles, through Fine Retailers or through The Trail of Painted Ponies Website Store, we want you to know that The Trail of Painted Ponies is right beside you, supporting communities and worthy non-profit organizations. Your gift giving is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Together, we are making a creative difference in the world.