Pigs in the City is a

public art Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acce ...

initiative coordinated by Uptown Lexington, Inc., a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization created to revitalize the downtown (or locally called "uptown") area of Lexington. It includes a near annual event held in the fall in the uptown

business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " city ...

Lexington, North Carolina Lexington is the county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term ...

, U.S., the self-proclaimed ''Barbecue Capital of the World''. It is part of a larger downtown revitalization effort which has gained significant media attention due its unusual artistic display of full-size ornamental

pigs The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

and draws visitors from all over

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. The event is free to the public.

History

During the 2004 "North Carolina Main Street" 24th Annual Awards Banquet, Pigs in the City won ''Best Downtown Special Event'' for their first event in 2003. The event drew over 40,000 visitors from all over the state in its first year. It became an annual event after 2006. The cost to "sponsor" one of the 20 pigs on display was $1,000 during the first exhibition, which paid for the initiative. There was some controversy as the "Root for the Troops" pig was stolen from its perch in front of the Army & Navy Store on Main Street. The fourth annual "Pigs in the City" event was held from May 23 through October 23, 2008, and was called "Power of the Pig." The pigs were also on display during the 25th Anniversary

Lexington Barbecue Festival The Lexington Barbecue Festival is a one-day food festival held each October in Lexington, North Carolina, the "Barbecue Capital of the World." Each year it attracts as many as 200,000 visitors to the uptown Lexington area to sample the different ...

and during the ''Official Food Festival of the

Piedmont Triad The Piedmont Triad (or simply the Triad) is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of North Carolina anchored by three cities: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group of cities lies in the Piedmon ...

Region of the State of North Carolina,'' a one-day event that usually draws up to 150,000 visitors from all over the nation to Lexington, a town of about 20,000 residents. Some of the themes for Pigs in the City 4 include ''Pigahontas'', ''Tanya "Cabbage Patch" Burcham'', ''This Little Piggy went to Market'', ''Mr. Porkwrench'', ''Huckleberry Pig'' and ''Girl Snout''.

Display

A number of artistic pigs are on display throughout the walkway of uptown Lexington, around the entire

city square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

. The pigs are primarily made of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

, and decorated and painted by local artists, each with their own theme. While some pigs are displayed for more than one year, new pigs are created for each year's display.The Dispatch - Uptown Lexington debuts pigs with parade

Gallery

Some of these are past entries that are now on permanent display throughout Lexington, or at Uptown Lexington, Inc. main office. Image:Pigs in the City 5.jpg, Carpenter pig Image:Pigs in the City 6.jpg, ''Swine Lake'' Image:Pigs in the City 7.jpg, ''Pig Pickin Image:Pigs in the City 8.jpg, ''Girl Snout'' Image:Pigs in the City 9.jpg, ''Rain or Swine'' Image:Lexington Barbecue Festival 2008 - caterpiggar.jpg, ''Digger the Caterpiggar'' Image:Pigs in the City 10 - Fire Hog.jpg, ''Fire Hog'' at the Lexington Fire Dept. HQ Image:Pigs in the City 11 - Pork Knox.jpg, ''Porknox'' Image:Pigs in the City 12 - Pigsaw.jpg, ''Pigsaw'' Image:Pigs in the City 13 - Newbee.jpg, ''Newbee'' Image:Pigs in the City 14 - Pigasus.jpg, ''Pigasus''

References

External links

Uptown Lexington, Inc.
{{coord, 35.816768, -80.258643, region:US_type:landmark_scale:500, display=title Buildings and structures in Davidson County, North Carolina Outdoor sculptures in North Carolina Painted statue public art Tourist attractions in Davidson County, North Carolina Sculptures of pigs Animal sculptures in the United States

History

Display

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links