The 2026 Interdependence Art Parade & Community Spectacle is co-produced by:

  • AMP Berea:  Ali Blair, Brett Hetzell + Leah Van Winkle

  • Clear Creek Creative + Y’All Art:  Carrie Brunk + Bob Martin

  • Fire & Fern Glass Studio:  Lauren Moody

  • South Slope Farm + The Year of Mud:  April Morales

Creative Direction by Bob Martin + April Morales with creative krewe leaders including:

  • Butterfly-Moth Krewe from Interdependence Art Camp on Clear Creek: led by Carrie Brunk + Lauren Moody with Ella, Judah + Tavish Blankenship, Lila Graber, Lisa Harrison, Hazel Liloia, Sylvyn b Martin, Jamie Stabler, Jaxon Moody, Evy Perler-Tomboly, Orion Prang and Agnes Tomboly

  • Chestnut Krewe from South Slope Farm on Clear Creek:  lead artistry by April Morales with puppetry collaboration by Amelia St. Francis, Pamela Cveticanin and Debra Hille, performance of Granny by Zach Hutchinson, performance of Cassie by Heather Dent and technical support by Ziggy Liloia and Elijah Teatsworth

  • Clown Krewe with Clear Creek Creative:  led by Bob Martin with Joel Crum, Caleb Kingston, Kai Kukas, Jacob Moody & Jacob Mudd

  • Firehorse + Dragonfly Krewe:  puppet created by Pamela Cveticanin and Debra Hille with choreography and costuming by Terry Slaughter, additional costuming by Amy Shupe with Berea College students Jay James and Nathaniel Wilhoite, performed by Phoenix Bills, Pamela Cveticanin, Eliza Glasscock, Andri Kukas and Terry Slaughter

  • Hellbender Krewe from the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center and Art in Action at Berea College: led by Chris Miller with Michael Gonzalez and Sakarah Stallings plus Wyatt McQueen as John G. Fee

  • Snapping Turtle Krewefrom the Berea Makerspace:  led by Jess Estridge and Bugz Fraugg with Cal bee, Ruwen Chang, Bernard Clay, Caleb Costelle, Keith Dent, Sam Dent, Mandy Felice, Katspears, Justin York, assistants Kevin & Miranda and support from Heather Dent and Tiffany Fricke

  • Storybook Krewe from the Berea Makerspace:  led by Alesia Efflandt and Chad Cummings with Joel Crum, Jess Estridge and bugz fraugg plus additional backgrounds by Caleb Kingston and Kai Kukas with puppetry by Alesia Efflandt and storybook narration by Nicole Garneau.

  • Tardigrade Krewe from South Slope Farm on Clear Creek led by Hazel Liloia

  • Undersea Installation from South Slope Farm on Clear Creek:  lead artistry by April Morales with Stephanie Hodde, Zach Hutchinson, Ziggy Liloia, Amelia St. Francis, Elijah Teatsworth and additional support from Nathan Brannon, Kristine Angeline Delelis, Veronica Entley and Jacob Kong

Music by Panorama Brass Band from New Orleans, Louisiana led by Ben Schenk – Clarinet, Byron Asher - alto saxophone, David Buchbinder - trumpet, Chris Davis - bass drum, Jack Pritchett - trumpet, Colin Myers - trombone, Boyanna Trayanova - snare drum and Jimmy Williams - tuba.

Creative Krewes + Production Crews + Supporters


Chorus by Kentucky Climate Choir.

2026 Interdependence Parade Banner handwoven by Candace Mullins.

Documentation by Erica Chambers Photography with additional photo and video by Ariana Jordan Maddox and drone by Cameron Mott

Marshalls led by Peter Hille with Josh Bills, Johnny Blevins, Kenny Bubba Brunk, Robby Pace, Joe Rydberg and David Saladino. 

Accessibility support by Danielle Capillo and Timi Reedy with student support from a summer exchange between Appalachian Science in the Public Interest and Notre Dame University including Nathan Brannon, Kristine Angeline Delelis, Veronica Entley and Jacob Kong

medic collective by Jo, Psera & Robin.

Free children’s meals are sponsored by Berea Kids Eat and GROW Appalachia and provided by Peg + Awl.  

Free refreshments post-parade provided by Grow Appalachia and Appalachian Science in the Public Interest.

Free Interdependence Art exhibit at the KY Guild of Artists & Craftsmen curated by Erica Chambers and supported by Pamela Cveticanin with dozens of artists’ work on display from parades past and present.

Creative Salon space donated byBerea Arts Council, The KY Guild of Artists & Craftsmen and Rebel Rebel Studio + Lounge.

The Interdependence Art Parade + Community Spectacle has been supported in 2025-26 by:

  • Alternate ROOTS

  • Kentucky Arts Council:  “The Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, support the Interdependence Art Parade & Community Spectacle with state tax dollars from the Kentucky General Assembly and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit history.ky.gov.

  • Kentucky Foundation for Women

  • Levitt Family Foundation:  This event is presented within the Levitt BLOC Berea Music Series and supported in part by the Levitt Family Foundation, which partners with changemakers and nonprofits to strengthen the social fabric of communities in America through free, live music in outdoor public spaces. In 2026, the Levitt Family Foundation is supporting over 900 free concerts in 90+ towns and cities across the country, bringing joy to over a million people. levitt.org

  • South Arts:  This project is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

And thank you to the many, many additional artists, community members, creatives, families and everyone else for joining in to celebrate our interdependence!

Creative Collaborators

Supported by

Join the Spectacle — Get Involved

Come to the parade. All events are free.

Join a krewe. Sign up to make parade art and join the procession alongside your neighbors.

Lead a workshop. If you have a skill to share — costuming, puppetry, music, banners, movement — reach out.

Support the work with a donation or sponsorship.

Donate or Sponsor the Parade

2026 Activities

What Is the Interdependence Parade?

The Interdependence Parade is a multi-day community celebration rooted in the idea that we are stronger, more creative, and more resilient together. Part walking art exhibit, part live music concert, part community gathering — it's a free, family-friendly event that invites everyone to show up, make something, and belong.

The celebration grows out of a simple question: what would it look like to celebrate the places, people, and relationships that sustain us? This gathering centers spectacle and connection. It began in 2023 as a grassroots neighborhood parade along Clear Creek and has grown each year into a larger, more collaborative community event. In 2025, about 500 people took part across creative workshops, a parade through downtown Berea, and a concert celebration.

The Flow

Creative Events | May–July 2026
Workshops, exhibits, and creative events are happening across Berea and the surrounding foothills in the weeks leading up to July 5. All are beginner-friendly and open to everyone — you don't have to be an artist to attend.

Summer Art Camp at Clear Creek | July
Three days of costume, puppet, prop, and parade art-making at Clear Creek Creative in the Appalachian foothills of Rockcastle County, led by experienced artists.

Additional events are being added — check back here for the full schedule as it develops.

Interdependence Art Parade in Berea | July 5, 2026 The parade itself takes place in Berea on July 5. Art-making workshops open the day, the Moving Art Exhibit and Mobile Concert moves through the streets in the afternoon — giant puppets, marching music, costumes, flags, and creative krewes of all kinds — and the parade ends with live music on the lawn. All of it free and open to the public.

What is a krewe?

A krewe is a group of people who create a parade art entry together. Maybe it's a giant puppet, a coordinated costume look, a banner, a float, a performance troupe, or a musical group. Krewes can be big or small, elaborate or simple.

Artist-led workshops in the weeks leading up to the parade give everyone the skills and materials to build their contribution. You can join an existing krewe or form your own.

Who is this for?

Everyone. The parade is designed to be genuinely accessible — free admission, ADA-accessible routes and gathering spaces, intergenerational programming, and workshops for artists of all ages and abilities. Elders, families, kids, longtime Berea residents, Berea College students, and neighbors from across the surrounding rural communities all take part.

The deeper story

Interdependence is a biological term for the way organisms in an ecosystem rely on each other to survive and thrive. It's also a description of how communities work at their best. This parade uses art, music, and shared making as a way to practice that — to build the kind of relationships and creative infrastructure that makes a community resilient over time.

The theme is an intentional complement to conventional Independence Day celebrations. It doesn't dismiss those traditions. It asks what else belongs in the frame alongside them — the histories, identities, and relationships that mainstream celebrations often leave out.