Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Tom Foolery. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Factual Fictions, 2007

Tom Foolery
American (born 1947)

Location: Haller Middle School, Arlington

About the Artwork

Factual Fictions by artist Tom Foolery pays tribute to the small town history and community of Arlington, in Northwest Washington. The miniature cityscape combines old and new, the real and the imagined – as well as lots of puns and wordplay – as if it is all one big event. There are true references to the annual experimental air show (third-largest in the U.S.) and to the popular Rubber Duck Dash. The ghostly canoe and paddler in the sky is a nod to the spirits of the original Stilliguamish people. The Iver Botten dry good store was a real local business, while See's Saws Logging Supplies "Keeping Arlington Sharp" is a fictional business. The artist notes that everyone will find and see different things from the community's past and present, and that "we are all individuals with a unique perspective and something to contribute".

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Arlington Public Schools.

About the Artist

Missoula-based artist Tom Foolery creates miniature, narrative dioramas. His dioramas invite viewers into voyeuristic worlds of playfulness and satire. Tom Foolery “attended Oregon State and the University of Washington where he got the ‘third degree’ before dropping out.”