Fiona, a popular Cincinnati celebrity, is getting her own mural. What makes this all the more impressive is that Fiona is not a human.
The hippopotamus will be immortalized in paint. A total of 60 designs were submitted, and Artworks recently revealed the design for the winning mural. It will be done in conjunction with the Cincinnati Paints by Numbers project.
Fiona won worldwide acclaim—and concern--when she was born prematurely. The zoo shared her story, and the little hippo and her fight for life made her popular worldwide.
The winner was chosen by the public, after the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Cincinnati Zoo named five finalists – Jessica Seta, Lucie Rice, OGRE, Cincinnatus Kidd, and Dick Close. During the period May 11-21, the public voted for the favorite design, and Lucie Rice won with 21,000 votes.
Her design for the mural shows Fiona, who is depicted as a light purple hippo with a smile on her face, romping in turquoise waters in front of an almost tropical-looking Cincinnati Zoo. Also in the picture are a toucan, elephant, swan, and giraffe.
Anyone who wants to get in on the fun can help paint the full-size mural. Would-be Picassos can buy a time slot between July 10 and July 25, when they’ll be guided by experts to add their own brushstrokes to the mural.
Projects like this deserve wide exposure, so officials might work with a flyer printing company to create a mailer for residents to let them know about the event.
