The Tom Golden Collection May 9, 2009

In 2001, Tom Golden, the unofficial mayor of the small Northern California town of Freestone in Sonoma County, donated his collection of works by renowned artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude to the Sonoma County Museum. Golden's personal and professional relationship with the artists began when he met them during the 1974 public hearings for of their project Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin counties, 1972-1976. Golden went on to manage or assist with a number of the artists' large scale projects including 'The Umbrellas, Joint Project for Japan and the USA, 1984-1991 and, more recently, the as yet unrealized Over the River, Project for the Arkansas River. Actively engaged with the art he so loved for nearly 30 years, Golden passed away at his home in late 2002.