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BSU professor’s sculpture stolen from art gallery
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A Boise State art professor’s sculpture was stolen from the BSU Visual Arts Center in the Liberal Arts (LA) Building at some point between Saturday night and Monday morning, according to Boise Police Officer Kris England.
BSU professor and artist John Taye said his 3-foot tall one-of-a-kind, hand-carved, cherry wood sculpture of a nude reclining woman, titled “Flight of Dreams,” is valued at approximately $2,500.
“Wood carvings can’t be replaced,” Taye said. “It’s hard to replace the emotion that I put into it.”
Taye said he spent about 125 hours over several months on the piece.
According to Boise Police Communications Director Lynn Hightower, the person or people who stole the sculpture face possible charges of grand theft and/or burglary.
The sculpture was part of the Art Department’s faculty exhibition, a show the gallery does every year, according to Kirsten Furlong, gallery director. The exhibition for the work of BSU staff contained about 20 pieces, but Taye’s sculpture was the only one stolen.
According to Kris England, the student who was responsible for the gallery on Saturday night saw it before leaving at 5 p.m. England said Furlong was the first to notice the sculpture was missing at 9:45 a.m. on Monday.
According to Furlong, she first checked with Professor Taye to see if he had taken the artwork. After she discovered he hadn’t, Furlong said the BSU affiliate of the Boise Police Department took the report of the theft. Furlong said the Crime Scene Investigation unit of BPD fingerprinted the area and gathered evidence.
Furlong said the Liberal Arts Building itself was open for use by students.
England said the person or persons who stole the sculpture must have climbed over the 9-foot wall of the gallery and carried the sculpture, which weighs between 30 and 35 pounds, back over the wall. Because of the weight of the sculpture, England said she believes it probably took more than one person to steal it.
England said the Boise Police have some evidence and are following up on some leads. “We’re hoping that someone will come forward with some information,” England said. “It means a lot to the professor.”
England said it has been years since a theft of this kind has at BSU.
“I was told a small silver piece was stolen ten or 15 years ago,” England said.
The gallery is in the center of the Liberal Arts Building, is open on the top and can be viewed from the second-floor balcony.
Taye said he hopes the security problems will be resolved.
“The whole Art Department is very upset about this, and other faculty are worried about their pieces being stolen,” Taye said.
Furlong said the gallery is considering new security options to protect the artwork.
“We already have a plan in place to have cameras installed as soon as possible and in the future, possibly motion detection options and extending the walls [of the gallery] as a deterrent,” Furlong said.
Furlong also said the gallery will be expanding the presence of monitors, but she doesn’t want the new security measures to affect the viewing of the gallery’s pieces.
“We don’t want it to feel so locked up for students and other people viewing the artwork,” Furlong said.
“Our main interest is to show the work and also preserve the artwork.”
Taye said he’s disappointed that someone would steal his artwork, but he’s trying to move on.
“Life goes on and I’m working on new pieces,” Taye said.
Furlong and England encouraged anyone who may know about the piece to call the Boise Police or Crime Stoppers (343-COPS).
“We really want to get it back,” Furlong said.
The Art Department’s faculty exhibition will continue through Nov. 4 in the Liberal Arts Building and the Hemingway Center.
Sara Bahnson / News Editor
