Introducing GO FISH!

GO FISH! is a participatory mural project for residents of all ages. In collaboration with local partners, ArtsArlington will offer free workshops inviting community members to paint a fish, with a goal of creating 2,000 uniquely painted herring. 

The finished herring will be installed on the exterior brick walls of local storefront businesses in groupings that pedestrians can discover as they walk through town. The work will embody the incredible diversity of our vibrant community as well as the positive good we can accomplish by working together.

About Return of the Herring

Every spring, a major migration moves through the heart of Greater Boston, invisible to most people. From early Paril through June, more than 500,000 river herring from the Atlantic Ocean return to the Mystic River, where they were born. 

Over the several years, this herring population has gone from endangered to robust thanks to a combination of government protection, nonprofit organization initiatives, and volunteer efforts. Since 2012, the herring that make their annual voyage from Boston Harbor up the Mystic River to spawn has more than tripled – from 200,000 to 640,000 in 2024!

Project Supporters

Many thanks to all the generous supporters who made Go Fish! possible!  We received a grant through the Cultural District program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), a state agency.  A generous donation from FloorSignage, LLC/Alumigraphics made it possible for us to use their innovative temporary mural material.   We received additional grant support from the Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture, a local arts agency supported by the MCC. Paint supplies generously contributed by Blick Art Materials/Central Square.  Finally, our work would not be possible without the ongoing generous support from the Town of Arlington and our local business and individual supporters, plus the time, energy and enthusiasm donated by our community volunteers!

About GO FISH project: https://artsarlington.org/go-fish/