Three painted panels that hung on a construction fence on Fourth Avenue were stolen over Labor Day weekend, the Historic Fourth Avenue Coalition said.
Shannon Riggs, co-owner of Pop Cycle and chair of the coalition said she noticed the panels were missing Monday morning, but one of the artists noticed her panel was gone Sunday morning. Riggs said they believe one was taken Saturday night and the other two Sunday night.
Members of the coalition did not file a police report, but are hoping somebody returns the panels for the community to enjoy again, Riggs said. She said the panels can be returned to Pop Cycle, no questions asked.
“We were just hoping that if someone happened to see them in someone’s home or backyard they could encourage them to return them,” Riggs said.
The coalition hosted an event August 18 where people watched the artists paint their panels. Community members could also contribute their own art to two of the panels.
The three stolen panels are Jenna Jarrold’s astronaut painting, Cassandra Ott’s Gila monster wearing sunglasses and Anna Lisa Martin’s white outlines of cactuses.
Riggs said she would hang up panels similar to others around the fence, with maps of Fourth Avenue highlighting some of the businesses along the street to cover the spaces where the stolen art was. She said Jarrold and Ott have already agreed to repaint a panel, and Martin has not gotten back to her yet about the idea.
Whoever took the paintings cut the hog rings that tied them to the fence, which are made of thick metal, and left the rings hanging on the fence, Riggs said.
The coalition knew damage to the art was a risk they were taking when they planned an art project on a construction site in public space, she said. But they expected the art to be defaced or damaged, not stolen.
“In some sense it was less upsetting than someone defacing it or destroying it,” Riggs said. “I hope someone is enjoying it I guess.”
