Developing Story
On Sunday, April 1st, 2012, some-time between 1:30 AM and 10:30 AM an act of Vandalism occurred at Ruffin Hall, the studio art building. This is the 4th destruction of art on grounds this school year.The sculpture, Warrior with Eleven Heads, was smashed to pieces where it once stood on the 3rd floor patio of Ruffin Hall. The body was sculpted as part of a project during the January Term Special Topics Sculpture Course entitled “The Warrior”. Each student in the class contributed to building the body from terra cotta clay and made 11 individual and personalized heads that would rotate as the head on the Warriors body. The artwork was on display since March 2nd, 2012 as part of the Warrior Exhibition. On April 1st, Jonathan Motlaugh’s terra cotta head was resting on the statue when the vandalism occurred and the head now lies shattered in fragments on the patio. The sculpture professor, Bill Bennett, stated, “I am outraged by this attack on Our Warrior which I also view as an attack on our collective Public Art Traditions and Future Desires !” The Art Department is retaliating my publicizing this act of vandalism and giving a $1000 reward for information leading to arrest and conviction of the attacker.
Any information regarding this act of vandalism should be reported to the police.
