Unlocking Human Potential: An Online Art Exhibit and Auction by The TRF and Saratoga Arts
The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) and Saratoga Arts have teamed up to create an inspiring online art exhibit and auction, launched on January 1, 2024, to commemorate the birth of every Thoroughbred horse foaled in the Northern Hemisphere in the same year. The auction bidding will begin on February 1 and will close on February 29, providing a unique opportunity to support the TRF Second Chances Program and the Second Chances Prison ART Program at Pleasant Valley State Prison.
The project originated when inmates of the Second Chance Prison ART Program expressed their wish to give back to society via supporting the TRF Second Chances Program, making use of the connection with the horses. Farm manager, Heidi Richards, facilitated an unforgettable experience for the inmates, introducing them to two horses and four goats, allowing those who had never encountered a horse before to experience a true emotional connection with it.
Richards stated: “Some of the Incarcerated Individuals had never seen a horse in person, and some of them felt like if it wasn’t for the TRF program at PVSP, they would’ve never seen a horse”.
Through the online art exhibit and auction, inmates of the Second Chance Prison ART Program will be able to showcase their creative drive and commitment to making a difference. All proceeds will go towards the TRF Second Chances Program, a mission to provide retired Thoroughbred racehorses with sanctuary and offering incarcerated individuals in the Second Chances Program the opportunity to learn valuable skills through vocational training. Part of the proceeds will also go towards new works by the inmates for future fundraisers.
One of the participating individuals expressed a profound sentiment, stating: “This is a way to give back to society, what we’ve taken”.
The endeavor was only possible thanks to the generous support of Saratoga Arts, providing the TRF with the online auction platform. With the goal of Saving Horses, Changing Lives, the TRF invites the public to join in the initiative and visit the online art exhibit and auction for donations and bids at https://saratogaarts.betterworld.org/auctions/thoroughbred-retirement-foundati-2. To learn more about the TRF, visit www.trfinc.org and to learn more about Saratoga Arts, visit www.saratoga-arts.org.