Art quilt featuring rags-to-riches story of Kentucky thoroughbred with connections to Paducah becomes the fifth mural in the Quilt City USA® Murals series
Xela Takes Keeneland” by Paducah painter/textile artist Deb Lyons
Paducah, KY, November 9, 2024—Paducah Quilt Murals Inc (PQMI) is pleased to announce that Paducah arts enthusiast Mike Cappock is sponsoring the fifth mural in the Quilt City USA® Murals project featuring the art quilt “Xela Takes Keeneland” by Paducah painter/textile artist Deb Lyons. The art quilt will soon reside with Cappock, who in conjunction with sponsoring the mural, is purchasing the quilt from its maker. The public is invited as Cappock accepts “Xela Wins at Keeneland” from Lyons on Tuesday, November 12 at 9 am, at 415 Park Street, the site of the Quilt City USA Murals project.
In addition to being the quilter, Lyons, who moved to Paducah in 2005 as part of the Artist Relocation Program, is one of the top six artists who qualified to paint the quilt murals after a rigorous jury process. The PQMI Board is pleased to announce that she is the muralist assigned to paint her quilt “Xela Wins at Keeneland.”
The story behind “Xela Wins at Keeneland” and its connection to Paducah is as deep as it is diverse. Xela is a Kentucky born thoroughbred born in 2004 who now resides in New York. In 2007, after a lackluster start to his racing career, Xela was sent to winter in Florida with trainer Jake Secor. The intent was to take him to West Virginia in the Spring where he would hopefully be sold to a new owner. However, after only six weeks, Secor saw promise in Xela and convinced the owners to take him to Keeneland instead. In what turned out to be one of the high points of Secor’s training career, Xela ran twice and won twice (April 9 and April 24) and was named the 2008 Spring Horse of the Keeneland Meet. During his racing days at Keeneland, he was ridden twice by Brian Hernandez Jr., the winning jockey of the 2024 Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.
Xela’s trainer Secor is the son of Paducah fiber artist and retired nurse Patience Renzulli, who went to Keeneland to meet Xela and witnessed one of his wins. Patience’s friend and fellow fiber artist Deb Lyons was inspired by Xela’s story. It was the motivation she needed to create and submit a quilt featuring Xela for a special juried exhibit featuring race horses at The National Quilt Museum during the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
After exploring ideas about the quilt composition, Lyons and Renzulli chose a representation of a photo of Xela in the midst of a race taken by the famous photographer Pat Lang, who spent more than 30 years shooting action shots and winner’s circle pictures at Turfway Park and Keeneland. The quilt was accepted into the 2010 exhibit at The National Quilt Museum and was on display at the Museum a second time in November 2018 for the exhibit Then & Now: A Paducah Fiber Artists Group Retrospective.
Lyons is delighted to return to painting and set up her studio to recreate “Xela Wins at Keeneland” in a different media. “This is the story of a wonderful, beautiful horse ‘that could,’” said Lyons. “He just keeps going…even in retirement. I’m very excited that his compelling story endures and will soon be seen by everyone who visits the Quilt Murals.”
See the quilt “Xela Wins at Keeneland” and join Mike and Caroline Cappock, Deb Lyons, Patience Renzulli, and the Paducah Quilt Murals Board on Tuesday, November 12 at 415 Park Street (adjacent to the Carroll Convention Center) at 9 am as “Xela Takes Keeneland” is turned over to its new owner.
About Paducah Quilt Murals Inc
Paducah Quilt Murals Inc is a 501(C)(3) charitable organization created for the Quilt City USA® Murals Project. The mission of Quilt City USA Murals is to educate both locals and visitors on the relevance and rich history of quiltmaking! This visionary public art project marries two ancient and modern artforms–quilting and mural painting– and showcases the skills of quilters from across the globe and talent of local artists.
