Parade of Hearts has grown into a first-of-its-kind public art initiative connecting more than 60 cities, multiple counties, and two states across the Heartland. What began in 2022 as an ambitious civic art project has evolved into a regional movement that encourages exploration, tourism, and community pride while raising funds for nonprofit organizations through the eventual auction of each sculpture. The project has helped erase invisible boundaries across the region by bringing together communities on both sides of the state line, including towns that don’t always feel included in regional conversations.
