Vandalism or accident? Junction Park sculpture damaged days after installation
West Acton Green Thumbs members discovered two wooden birds were missing on the morning of August 9.
Four days after a new sculpture appeared in West Acton’s Junction Park, two of its small wooden birds were ripped from their perches.
“We are devastated,” read a note placed beside the damaged sculpture, named “Rybee House 5,” at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Main Street.
West Acton Green Thumbs members discovered the damage the morning of August 9, just days after it was installed in the park, according to Susan Beck of the West Acton Cultural District Committee (WCCDC), who helped lead the project. But no one witnessed the incident, and there were no security cameras with a clear view of the sculpture.
The note, written by WCCDC and West Acton Green Thumbs members, condemns any “cowardly act” of vandalism, but Beck said the damage might not have been a malicious act.
“I think it was an accident — that maybe some kids tried to climb it, two of the birds got pulled off, and they took the incriminating evidence,” Beck told The Acton Bridge. “I really find it hard to believe that someone said, ‘I’ve just got to have that little brown woodpecker.’”
WCCDC Chair Sue LaChance agreed, saying that she believed it was just a kid “trying to climb the thing like a tree.”
“It looked like people were using the birds that were on the statue as footholds,” she said.
Police are investigating the damage.
‘Very whimsical’
Connecticut artist Stephen Klema created the sculpture. The WCCDC worked with the Green Thumbs to bring it to Junction Park, hoping it would encourage people passing through to slow down and enjoy the park, according to LaChance.
“Even when it was getting installed, people were just delighted,” she said. “It’s very whimsical.”
After the incident, people stopped to read the sign and talk with LaChance about the sculpture, saying it “brought joy” and that they were “sad it got damaged.”
The Bridge attempted to reach Klema but did not receive a response.
The cultural committee is already planning repairs, and Klema has helped determine how to fix the sculpture. The cost has not yet been calculated, but LaChance said it would come from the committee’s already-approved budget. Beck said the cultural committee paid $4,000 to have the sculpture, which is on loan, displayed for a year.
LaChance said the incident has not discouraged the committee from bringing more public art to West Acton.
“Hopefully more people will come by and appreciate it because it’s really [a] beautiful work,” she said, “and then go see the rest of what we have to offer.”
