SUNY Brockport Professor Jack Wolsky poses with his Horses on Parade entry. Wolsky, a Spencerport resident, titled his piece H.O.R.S.E., Helping Out Rochester Serving Everyone. Sponsored by the Red Cross, H.O.R.S.E. stands in front of the Rundel Library.

Four unique designs were created for Rochester's Horses on Parade by SUNY Brockport Department of Art Associate Professor and Chair Jennifer Hecker; and faculty Emeriti Bill Stewart, Jack Wolsky, and Thomas Markusen, each recognized for their life-long contributions to the art community. Although unique in design, the horses carry the unified message of their artist creators - in service to the Rochester community.

Hecker aptly chose the name "Horsefeathers" for her thoroughbred, which is sponsored by Flower City Health Care Services. Horsefeathers, located in front of Village Gate Plaza, Goodman Street, and just around the corner from the Memorial Art Gallery, was designed with thousands of pheasant feathers, creating a soft, touchable effect, which invites not just looking, but touching too.

"I envisioned the horse as a very tactile piece. People enjoy petting horses, and I wanted this piece to invite people to touch it," said Hecker.

Wolsky's horse, which is actually named "H.O.R.S.E.," stands in front of the Rundel Library. H.O.R.S.E. is an acronym for Helping Out Rochester Serving Everyone, and is sponsored by the Red Cross. H.O.R.S.E. is a collaboration with Wolsky and fellow Rochester artists Carl Zollo and Guy Chiazza. H.O.R.S.E. proudly wears the symbol recognized internationally and in the Rochester community for the help and hope brought to so many throughout the years by the Red Cross.

"I think the Horses on Parade campaign has been very successful; it is fun and exciting for people to be going about the community to see all the different horses. The project is a delightful addition to our community," said Wolsky, who served as one of the judges who juried the design submissions. And, as a judge, he was able to view all the designs submitted for Horses on Parade.

The Stewart thoroughbred, "Horsehide," sponsored by the Rochester Red Wings, is appropriately located at Frontier Field. It took more than 300 mitts, most of them contributed by die-hard baseball fans and community softball league players, to complete the Red Wings' newest "mascot."

"Horsehide, a term familiar to any baseball fan, was the seed for the horse project," said Stewart. "Baseball requires fans to be successful, so fan participation in this project seemed essential. Collecting autographed baseball gloves (hide) from fans and attaching them to the horse became the project.

Markusen's "Bucky" stands guard at the corner of Broad and Washington, and is sponsored by Buckingham Properties.

"It (Horses on Parade) is a great benefit to the community and the people of Rochester, and helps to introduce people to art," said Markusen. "The artists did a stellar job. The horses' designs compare very well to those of other major cities, including Buffalo, Chicago and Toronto."