Mission Statement
of the
American Academy of Equine Art

The American Academy of Equine Art, Inc. was established in 1980 by a group of ten distinguished artists, individually famed for their work on equine subjects. Their aim was to maintain a degree of excellence within the genre, and to promote the academic representation of the equine form in drawing, painting and sculpture. Loosely based on the Royal Academy of Arts in London, the AAEA serves to educate and encourage a broad awareness and appreciation of equine art as a specific and distinctively worthy segment of contemporary fine art in America.

Full membership in the academy is accorded only to artists of professional maturity and achievement, who are committed to the mission of the AAEA and are willing to contribute in a teaching capacity through workshops, seminars, lectures, demonstrations and critiques. In addition to a proven knowledge of equine anatomy and an ability to depict the horse, Full members must demonstrate a consistent facility in dealing with the human figure, landscape, background, etc. Qualified artists of all nationalities are elegible for membership.

In fulfillment of its mission, the AAEA organizes and presents exhibitions throughout the United States. An annual exhibition features works of Founders, Full members and invited artists. A yearly, open, juried exhibition spotlights the works of aspiring or emerging equine artists. Each year, the academy sponsors workshops in equine drawing, painting and sculpture at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington and other locations in the USA. An AAEA Artist in Residence program has been initiated at the Kentucky Horse Park to further the organization's goals.

The AAEA is a non-profit, 501©3 organization. It does not discriminate on the basis of national or ethnic origin, race, color, creed, gender, age or disability in any of its programs or policies.

American Academy of Equine Art, Inc.
Shelley Hunter, Director
c/o Kentucky Horse Park
4089 Iron Works Parkway
Lexington, KY 40511
Tel: 859-281-6031 Fax 859-281-6043