Cincinnati's hippo queen Fiona received worldwide love for surviving and thriving after being born prematurely in January, 2017 at the Cincinnati Zoo. She's a household name at this point with necklaces, shirts, stuffed animals and now a recently completed mural honoring her majestic existence in the world.
Local public art program ArtWorks Cincinnati teamed up with the zoo and the Cincinnati Enquirer to seek out submissions for the mural as part of their Cincinnati Paints by Numbers project. After the Cincinnati Zoo and Cincinnati Enquirer narrowed the initial submissions to five finalists — Dick Close, Cincinnatus Kidd, OGRE, Lucie Rice and Jessica Seta — the winner was chosen by 21,000 public votes, all submitted between May 11 to May 21.
Lucie Rice's take on the project emerged as the winner. The design depicts a grinning, light-purple Fiona, next to her mom Bibi, peeking up from teal waters backdropped by a colorful and lush Cincinnati Zoo. It's playful and charmingly simple—though the world's fave hippo is at the forefront, a toucan sits perched in a tree while a giraffe and elephant wander and a swan lazily floats.
The mural was announced in early April. And, being the star she is, Cincinnatians and worldwide fans rejoiced.
Now that the mural has been completed by youth apprentices and teaching artists, ArtWorks will celebrate with a dedication this Wednesday (Aug. 15) at the site of the mural, 910 Race Street. Following the dedication, "the Hippo-ist Happy Hour" will take place across the street at The Presidents Room at The Phoenix. The happy-hour will include a Fiona-themed cocktail; a portion of the proceeds will benefit ArtWorks Cincinnati.
Mural Dedication 4-6 p.m. Aug. 15, 910 Race St., Downtown; Happy-hour 6-7 p.m. Aug 15, 812 Race St., Downtown
