ARLINGTON — In the first round of awards for the city’s recent community art project, Vicky Johnson of Mill Creek and Bryant won first place for her psychedelic rockfish, the Arlington Library staff picked up second place, and the staff of Bowman Manufacturing of Arlington won third place for a steely salmon.
Civic groups, business owners, adults and children painted more than 350 plywood cutouts of salmon, trout, sturgeon and rockfish. The fish, up to 8 feet long, are on display through March along I-5 and Highway 530. The idea is to attract visitors to Arlington.
Most of the library staff participated in the project and decorated an 8-foot rockfish, librarian Kathy Bullene said.
“We had painted cows a few years ago and were excited to be part of the fish project,” Bullene said. “We did our research about rockfish and knew we needed to use shiny materials.”
The library staff, on their own time with their own money, ended up using old CDs to mimic the scales of a rockfish, working with the color variations on the old disks.
Before being transported out to the freeway, the “Rockin’ Reader” was displayed at the library with a book under his fin.
“He’s pretty flashy,” Bullene said.
The art project, called “Some Things Fishy in Arlington,” is sponsored by the city of Arlington and the Arlington Arts Council. The title of the project is a tribute to the use of fish in Arlington’s extensive public art collection.
Many people remember the herd of painted plywood cows that in 2003 decorated a field near the Island Crossing exit of I-5. The cows were part of Arlington’s centennial celebration. The fish are designed to pique the interest of travelers headed to the Winter Olympic Games in British Columbia.
Another round of fishy winners will be announced during the Arlington-Stillaguamish Eagle Festival on Feb. 6 in downtown Arlington.
Until then, the fish can be seen in Dwayne Lane’s field along the freeway and all around the city.
“We were please do be part of such a fun and popular community project,” Bullene said.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427, gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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