Read this Cherokee artist’s resume and you will understand why he is listed in Who’s Who in American Art. A Vietnam veteran whose personal philosophy is "Everything is an experiment. That goes for life, for art and for painting a Pony," Bill adorned one side of his Pony with a portrait of a Plains Indian warrior, and the other with a serene Pueblo scene. Asked for his inspiration, he wrote, "From the Great Spirit and Mother Earth, all things are made."

Artist: Star Liana York
Sponsor: E.Steven and Kim Charlton Benson

Recognized by Southwest Art magazine as one of the top 30 artists featured in their 30 years of publication, Santa Fe sculptor Star Liana York is as well known for her detailed and sensitive renderings of Native Peoples as her gift for capturing the spirit of the horse in three-dimensions. With Medicine Pony, she has combined her love and knowledge of people with special relationships to animals by creating a Plains Indian ceremonial horse dressed with a collection of personal objects believed to give the horse’s owner power: shields, a lance, a bow, a pipe and assorted amulets and talismans.

Award-winning artist Joel Nakamura is known for his unique style - a blend of folk art and sophisticated iconography - and his ability to convey stories in an intricate and engaging manner. Joel chose the Thunderbird myth for his Pony because "it was said that a young warrior both brave and fast enough to ride his horse under the Thubderbird's great shadow would gain sacred spiritual powers." Joel's paintings have illustrated articles in publications as diverse as Time and Playboy, and his illustrations were featured in the opening and closing programs of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The intricate black-and-white designs found on Anasazi pottery at Chaco Canyon, which reflect the timeless character of ancient cultures, are the inspiration behind this astounding work of art. Of French and Spanish descent, Robert has also added new dimensions to the art of gourd painting, for which he is respected and collected worldwide. A versatile artist, his horizons are constantly expanding, making him one of the most exciting talents working today.

"Here is what happens when daytime-snoozing feline souls cut loose by the light of the new moon. They jig and waltz, slide a sinuous tango and pound out a mad polka," says Elizabeth, an avid horsewoman, Pony Club mom, and associate member of the American Academy of Equine Art from Huntsville, Alabama. "By day, we only see those half-smiles on snoring kitty faces as they grace our chairs and sofas, or doze in the garden beneath the lilacs. They grin from within as they recall the gavotte from the night before and shiver with delight, dreaming of the next Kitty Cat’s Ball."

In times of great distress, it seems that many Americans turn to prayer, one of the oldest and simplest forms of communication, and truly one of the most powerful and inspiring. In the fall of 2001, at a time when this country was changed forever, children of many faiths from across the United States were invited to share their most prized possessions - their prayers. The compassion, courage, hope and forgiveness they expressed in words and art were collected in a bestselling book - Children’s Prayers for America - and are shared on this special, heartfelt Pony that is an expression of hope in its most humble form.

The challenge of creating a wonderful work of art on a large scale, and not allowing her disability to limit her imagination, motivated Mary - wheelchair-bound after suffering a spinal injury during a gymnastics event at age 17 - to paint a Pony. Hoping to communicate the "inner connection we share with all living creatures," she rounded up "a dazzling menagerie" of animals "in a changing seasonal environment. Over a year in the making, Mary’s Painted Pony is an extraordinary achievement that carries this message: "Enjoy her beauty, follow your dreams, and believe in yourself."

As a young boy growing up on the Hopi mesas of Northern Arizona, Buddy would accompany his grandfather, a Hopi war chief, as he made his rounds on the back of a donkey, checking on the corn fields and herding sheep. Years later, when he developed into a multi-talented artist, collected by enthusiasts from around the world, Buddy would credit his grandfather’s gift for storytelling with the imagery - Kachina figures, corn maidens, lightning storms - that found its way into his cottonwood carvings, his mystical oil paintings and his fabulous Painted Pony.