MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The EcoArts Sculpture Walk is having a rough start to its ninth year.
The annual summertime arts installation at Middletown Trailside Nature Preserve County Park, set to mark its grand opening in a free event from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 12, was damaged late last week by suspects who went about destroying art installations, according to Karen Turcotte, the exhibition's founder.
The exhibit has suffered vandalism in past years, she said.
“Vandalism has happened, but nothing that was ever completely destroyed,” she said.
Destroying art work wasn't enough for the suspects, who also allegedly stole three hand-crafted wine barrel benches made by Shawn Harrington of Kelseyville, which Turcotte called “a stupid act.”
The benches were to be used for visitors at Kelseyville resident Tim Salisbury's installation – the last on the route – in honor of Lake County's 150th anniversary, Turcotte said.
“You were supposed to be able to sit and ponder the past,” Salisbury said Monday evening.
Salisbury, who said this is his first year taking part in the exhibit, didn't notice any damage to his exhibit outside of the theft of the benches.
Turcotte believes the vandalism and theft took place Thursday night, as she had last been there that afternoon and everything was OK.
The next morning when she arrived to work on the exhibit she discovered the damage, and found one of the artists trying to fix her own broken exhibit.
The art eggs made by the students of Lake County International Charter School in Middletown were used to break other art work, she said. Some of the exhibit's signs also were disturbed.
Sustaining more damage was the work of another first-time exhibitor in the sculpture walk, 8-year-old Julianne Carter of Hidden Valley Lake.
She created “Gimme Shelter,” which includes 31 small pots she made and painted.
“They have little drawings on them, like birds, trees, mountains, clouds, all kinds of things,” she said.
When the pots are picked up, clay bugs can be seen underneath them. The idea, she said, was to explore the idea of habitat creation. She was inspired after finding bugs under pots she had put in her play yard.
“The bugs,” she warned of her clay creations, “are kind of scary.”
Several of the pots she had created on her mother's dining room table over the course of several weeks were destroyed in the vandalism, which she said she found discouraging.
Turcotte called the Lake County Sheriff's Office to report the incident. She subsequently spoke to a deputy who told her he had some ideas on who might be responsible and would investigate.
“We haven't heard anything yet,” she said.
Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the agency had responded and that a deputy was writing a report on the incident.
With preparations still under way for the grand opening this Sunday, Turcotte said they're dealing both with the damage and trying to get seven more pieces installed.
Julianne Carter said she hopes everyone keeps an eye out for the thieves and vandals. “We hope that they can catch them.”
Anyone with information about the vandalism and theft is asked to call the Lake County Sheriff's Office at 707-262-4200 or Turcotte at 707-928-0323.
The exhibit will run through October. Middletown Trailside Nature Preserve County Park is located at 21435 Dry Creek Cutoff, Middletown. The park is open daily from dawn until dusk.
For more information about the sculpture walk visit www.ecoartsoflakecounty.org.
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