STILLWATER — Organizers of a program that seeks to place art in public places along the Erie and Champlain canals will meet May 16 at the Saratoga National Historical Park to make plans with interested participants.

Linda Buerkley, of Fort Edward, is one of the local organizers of the program called Art Walks On Water.

“The goal of Art Walks On Water is to have a piece of art in each town, village and city along the New York State Canal System, creating the world’s longest art gallery,” she said.

The May 16 meeting will be held from 2 to 4 p.m., and local artists are invited to participate in the discussion of how local communities can participate.

“[The program] is an exceptional opportunity for canal communities to come together to foster community pride, attract new visitors and stimulate the creative economy through the arts,” Buerkley said.

The program was created by Lori Skoog of Brockport, who said many Erie Canal communities have already installed sculptures, murals and kiosks. Historic buildings and sites near or on the waterway have been adapted or taken advantage of to promote community involvement, she noted.

Skoog calls the program an attempt to create a 524-mile-long art museum.

“I’ve discovered a lot of communities already have art, but there is no connection, no communication along the canal,” Skoog said.

She hopes to find a contact in each area that can identify artwork that exists or artists and locations willing to participate.

“I’m doing this all by myself at this point,” Skoog said. “I have gotten a tremendous response from people along the canal, and I’m hoping it will all come together soon.”

The project began in Brockport after an 18-foot sculpture by Bill Stewart was installed next to a welcome center on the southern bank of the Erie Canal in fall 2005.

“I looked at that art and thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if every community had something like this?’ Then I decided to make it my pet project,” she said.

Skoog said there are more than 230 towns and villages along the New York State Canal System.

“We had a wonderful roundtable discussion in Canajahorie last month, and there were people there from all over the state with great ideas,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the meeting [at the Saratoga National Historical Park].”

Saratoga National Historical Park spokeswoman Gina Johnson said that although the park is hosting the discussion, it is not directly involved in the project.

“We’re not open to every group for meetings, but this project and its connection to the Canalway seemed appropriate for us to host,” Johnson said.