The Middle Way
"The Middle Way", a painting created by Trés Taylor in collaboration with members from the community of Homewood, Alabama, welcomes you to The Valley Hotel, a Hilton Curio property.
The inspiration for this painting is based on a fable that Trés wrote which tells how Homewood was founded. The story is inspired by an annual event called, The Salamander Festival.
It celebrates the one night when the salamanders migrate towards the creeks to lay their eggs.
In the fable, the monk, William Guadalupe, has an unusual encounter with the salamanders which helps to resolve a long-standing debate among a group of people that he meets in his travels.
The making of The Middle Way was a community-building project, which brought members from The Listening Project and The Friends of Shades Creek together to paint and to converse.
These organizations, like the painting, strive to bring about peace and understanding through the art of listening, and an appreciation for the unique flora and fauna of Homewood through education and conservation.
Learn more about these community leaders: The Listening Project & The Friends of Shades Creek.
Many thanks to Kathy and Mike Mouron, Lauren McGowan, Elizabeth and Phil Vander Kamp, Michelle and Ken Blackwood, Becky and Owen Stayner, Wei Wang, Ann Mei Johnson, Jane Ross, Kathleen, Kamilla, Suzanna, Sadie, and Elias Busbee, Russell Boylan, Andrew Nigh, Cara Clark, Brian Henry, Marc Bondarenko, Chad Miniex, Jerry Click, Elizabeth Russ, Brooke Wissenbach, Kimberly Retzsch, Omar Garcia, Lillis and Helene Taylor.
