Parade of the Towns

As the culmination of Walking on Air, The Parade of the Towns embodied the Walkway ethic of grass-roots celebration, enlisting the artistic input of over one thousand Hudson Valley participants of all ages and backgrounds.

In May of 2009, 50 artists from Dutchess and Ulster Counties were chosen to represent their towns in the Walkway Opening. We held a series of workshops, after which each artist was asked to create an original ceremonial Town Emblem for the procession. In addition, the artists led their communities in the creation of 25 unique banners, which carried above the marchers as a canopy of local color.

The resulting artworks have continued to have a curatorial life after the Opening, appearing in exhibitions, town halls, libraries, and local parades and markets.