By Kathy Chouteau
It’s a very fishy affair where community members can dive in to a swimmingly fab time.
The Richmond Art Center (RAC) will be “Celebrating 25 Years of Guillermo the Golden Trout” with “Go Fish!” Sat. Aug. 5 from 1-4 p.m. The event is free to attend, however, attendees can purchase $50 tickets that offer special perks and provide additional support to the RAC.
For those wondering who “Guillermo” is, he’s the 50 foot-long colorful, recycled metal fish sculpture adorning the RAC’s building facing Barrett Avenue that was installed in 1997 as part of Andrée Singer Thompson’s “Making Waves—A Ripple Effect” exhibition. It became an iconic part of the city fabric when then-Mayor Rosemary Corbin purchased it with beautification funding.
Locals may recall Guillermo underwent some “light refurbishments” (read: went to rehab) earlier this year in preparation for this celebration, as reported by the Richmond Standard.
As for the community celebration, the RAC said it will honor Singer Thompson and Guillermo with eclectic activities such as fishing games, fish art-making, live music by Sueños Jazz and food prepared by Richmond’s El Sol. Community members can also “learn about Guillermo the Golden Trout and Andrée Singer Thompson’s artistic practice through an exhibition of her work,” per the RAC.
Again, while the event is free to attend, community members can opt to purchase a Golden (Trout) ticket for $50 that offers special extras at Go Fish!, such as “a Guillermo tote bag with goodies and the satisfaction of singing ‘I’ve got a Golden (Trout) ticket,’” said the RAC.
The Richmond Art Center is located at 2540 Barrett Ave. in Richmond. Learn more and support the event here.
