Sculptures Removed From Boardman Trail After More Damage; Witnesses Share Account of Seeing First Accidentally Destroyed

After a third sculpture was badly damaged along the Boardman Lake Loop Trail and the fourth and final sculpture showed signs of minor vandalism, the Traverse City Arts Commission removed the Spirit of the Forest installation from the trail near Oryana this week. The last remaining sculpture in good condition will potentially be moved to another location for display, while a different art installation will be explored for the trail system in the future. Meanwhile, two witnesses have shared their account with The Ticker - and the Traverse City Police Department - of seeing the first sculpture accidentally destroyed by individuals trying to take a photo with the artwork.

The Ticker reported earlier this month that two of the four sculptures - tall blue figures made from cast aluminum that have a humanlike body with a deer head and antlers valued at $12,000 each - were destroyed in back-to-back incidents of presumed vandalism. The sculptures were found toppled on the ground broken off at the ankles. They had been installed earlier this summer as part of a rotating exhibit called Art on the TART and had generated significant social media debate among some residents who found them "demonic" or "Satanic." Artists Steve and Dorota Coy denied that was their intention, saying the sculptures referenced nature and mythology. The Traverse City Arts Commission (TCAC) paid the Coys $4,000 for the loan of their artwork for two years.

The Traverse City Police Department (TCPD) has since been investigating the damage, stepping up its patrols of the trail area. However, Traverse City Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Harry Burkholder - the staff liaison for TCAC - says a third sculpture was recently damaged. Though it remained upright after one of the legs was damaged, "it was clearly a safety hazard, so we made the decision to take it down," he says. 

The fourth sculpture also showed signs of minor damage - nicks that could have been made by a hammer or axe, Burkholder says - so TCAC decided to remove the installation entirely. The pads remain in place along the trail and could host another art installation in the future. Meanwhile, the fourth sculpture is still in good condition and could be moved to another, more visible location in the city. TCAC is still determining where that location will be, Burkholder says. The city has insurance to cover the sculptures and has initiated a claim to compensate the artists for their losses.

While the damage to the sculptures has been assumed to be intentional vandalism, TCPD Captain Pete Simerson previously told The Ticker authorities hadn't been able to locate any metal shavings or saw blades to indicate they had been deliberately cut down. He said it was possible someone had leaned on or shoved the statues and toppled them. An account shared by two witnesses indicates exactly that could have occurred with at least one of the sculptures.

Father-and-son duo Matt and River Maitland were biking on the TART Trail on the afternoon of Monday, July 29 - a day before the first sculpture was reported damaged to the TCPD - and saw a woman, man, and young girl standing by that sculpture. The Maitlands estimate the girl was five or six years old. As they came near on their bikes, the girl approached the statue and stood on the side of it for a photo. She was standing on one leg in a silly pose, the Maitlands say, and lost her balance, clutching the statue's arm as she fell. Both the girl and the statue fell over backward, according to the Maitlands. The girl and woman began crying, while the man appeared surprised and upset.

"She wasn't jumping on it or using it as a jungle gym," Matt Maitland says. "It wasn't anything violent. She was posing with it and fell over." Matt says he paused briefly to make sure the girl was OK and didn't need an ambulance. When she appeared OK, he and River continued biking down the trail. While he debated taking a photo of the trio, he ultimately decided to keep moving. "It was probably 20 seconds total," he says. "They weren't running or fleeing at the time. They saw us there." 

The Maitlands shared timestamped photos with The Ticker of their bike ride on the TART Trail on July 29 that put them at Oryana around 2pm. Matt Maitland later reached out to TART Trails to report the damaged sculpture. After The Ticker story ran on August 2, he also contacted both Central Dispatch and The Ticker to share his account. He was not immediately contacted for a follow-up interview by the TCPD, but after reaching out again Friday (August 23), he was interviewed by a detective who told him his story was "consistent with other things we've been hearing," Matt Maitland says.

That detective confirmed speaking to Maitland but referred questions on the case to Simerson, who was out of the office Friday. TCPD Chief Matt Richmond could also not be immediately reached for comment. Whether the other sculptures were also accidentally damaged or intentionally vandalized is unknown; Burkholder notes the strangeness of all four receiving some level of damage. Copycat vandalism can sometimes occur once artwork has been damaged in a particular area. Either way, Burkholder says TCAC will evaluate the remaining sculpture with the artists to determine if there are any structural vulnerabilities before displaying it again. "If that's the case, we either won't place it or we'll have to figure out a way to stabilize it or put it where it's not as accessible for climbing on it," he says.

Burkholder says the case shows the importance of respecting public art, which is intended to provoke community discussion and even sometimes controversy and debate. Even when damage isn't inflicted intentionally, and is caused by individuals who enjoy the art and are trying to interact with or photograph it, it's "important for everyone to realize public art is supposed to be viewed, and that climbing on it or touching it in a damaging way is not encouraged," Burkholder says. "We want people to be cognizant of the installation and the work that's before them."

Anyone with information about the damaged Spirit of the Forest sculptures can contact the TCPD at 231-922-4550. Photo credit (middle photo): Karine Pierson.