Is Willie The Walleye Really One Of America’s Ugliest Statues?

The great state of Minnesota can hang with anyone when it comes to statues. From our several Paul Bunyans to the Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth, people come from far and wide to see our monuments to fish, lumberjacks and.. green beans.

READ: WHICH IS MINNESOTA'S BEST BUNYAN?

Imagine my surprise when Rivers Art sent me an email to inform me that Baudette's 'Willie the Walleye' statue made the list of 'America's Ugliest Public Art Pieces!' How dare they?

Rivers Art:

A 40-foot fiberglass fish towers over town, perched awkwardly on stilts. While meant to celebrate fishing culture, the exaggerated proportions and cartoonish face make it look more like a parade float frozen in place.

 

Faded paint and plasticky texture give Willie an ungainly presence that draws attention for all the wrong reasons.

Come on, guys... that walleye has feelings! What if his family reads this? What about his PERSONALITY?!

Looking at the statue via Google Maps, I have to say I don't see the same thing the art experts see, which is certainly not the first time in my life that this is the case. I think it is a great statue.. it looks exactly like what it promises to look like: a fish.

The top five 'ugliest' were the Boll Weevil Monument in Enterprise, Alabama; Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks in New Haven, Connecticut; The Wall of Death in Seattle; the World's Largest Jackelope in Douglas, Wyoming and Giant Metal Spider in St. George, Utah.