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Arc of History sculpture to be repaired

Artist, public-art commission favor restoration of defaced, maligned piece
After being damaged last month at the intersection of U.S. highways 550 and 160, the Arc of History will be restored, the Durango Public Art Commission agreed Tuesday.

Officials have resolved to repair a controversial piece of public artwork defaced last month, though the cost of doing so remains uncertain.

The Arc of History, a fishtail-like sculpture of stone plates, stretches 20 feet long at the intersection of U.S. highways 550 and 160. With pieces of the rock smashed by an unidentified vandal, the structure has seen better days.

The Durango Public Art Commission agreed Tuesday to move forward with restoration of the $28,000 sculpture, pending an estimate from an insurance agency and the artist, Tom Holmes of Pennsylvania.

Holmes wrote an Aug. 17 letter to leaders and residents of Durango, imploring the sculpture’s integrity be restored and addressing some residents’ distaste for the piece.

“This incident of violence reflects on a small group of individuals and an undercurrent of disparaging ethos that needs to be strongly reprimanded,” Holmes wrote.

“We are way beyond morally, intellectually and legally, the like or dislike stage. This next series of steps and remedies is about integrity, honor and just cause. I ask that the town support the restoration of the Arc and its protection from harm.”

Holmes also asked Durangoans to look past the idea that art must “look like something familiar to be something of value,” quoting artist Carl Van Brunt.

The July incident is not the first time the piece has been tampered with. On Halloween 2014, one end of the Arc was crowned with a dinosaur head, meticulously crafted by a local artist. Local teenagers subsequently beheaded the Arc, but police recovered the dinosaur head.

Locals have also adorned the sculpture with a nest of eggs at its base since its establishment last year, as well as outfitted other public art such as the bronze statue of Shakespeare’s renowned character, Puck. However, those pranks did not permanently impact the work.

“The public art here is very interactive,” Public Art Commissioner Cathy Gore said. “This is not unusual. We love art and support artists and their efforts in our community. To have a public-art program says that, and it’s not about that one piece; it’s about public art, period.”

However, the commission generally agreed the public’s additions to the Arc disrespected Holmes.

“We should deter the community from interacting with the piece in the future,” said Shanan Campbell-Wells, a Durango Public Art commissioner. “It sends the wrong message.”

Tuesday’s meeting attracted citizen Ray Sigwart, who asked officials if they considered replacing the sculpture altogether with a different piece.

But federal law protects public art once it is established, Gore said.

“Secondly, we like it,” she said.

“I think it’s art. It is a piece that speaks from the heart of this artist. We were looking at all the stone cliffs in Durango, and the stone in the piece, and what it would look like with that. It’s pretty.”

But some Durango locals don’t think so.

George Glass said he doesn’t think the sculpture is representative of the city, and a surveillance camera won’t stop vandals.

“They’ll get it repaired, but it’s not going to stop a 20-year-old who had eight beers from doing it again,” Glass said.

“It looked weird before, and it looks weird now,” said Brian Soignier.

“You don’t fix rocks; it’s hardly noticeable. I passed by it, and there’s nothing I can see wrong with it.”

That said, Soignier considers the vandalism a tragedy. A former attorney, he said the other “decorations” affixed to the sculpture in the past are also technically vandalism but personally thinks those impermanent additions were harmless.

“I’m encouraged that Durango is putting up public art,” he said.

Durango’s public-art collection, valued at approximately $1.2 million, is insured, although the deductible may be as much as $5,000. Art commissioner Sherri Dugdale said the sculpture’s location at a busy intersection creates additional challenges and calls for permission from CDOT.

To dissuade future vandalism, the commission will install a surveillance camera at the sculpture once it is restored.

Durango Police Department Lt. Ray Shupe said authorities have no leads on the perpetrator(s), who would likely be charged with criminal mischief if caught.

jpace@durangoherald.com

Correspondence with city (PDF)

Aug 2, 2016
Arc of History artist considers legal action
Jul 29, 2016
Durango will say goodbye to the Arc of History


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