Utica Art Studio Heavily Vandalized, Police Arrest Culprits: Kids Aged 8–11
Having kids is a joy, they say. No one really warns you about the other side. Law enforcers have arrested a group of vandals who severely ravaged an artist residency in Utica, New York. Their profile? Children between the ages of eight and 11.
The five culprits broke into Sculpture Space, a studio founded 44 years ago, on August 28 and pulled every act possible to turn the place upside down. They sprayed crude graffiti all over its walls, overturned furniture, shattered windows, broke all lighting fixtures, smashed cameras, and destroyed its art collection.
Sculpture Space later elaborated that the young delinquents had used “paint, torches, sledgehammers, and other studio items” to damage the space and its objects. In addition, the vandals flooded the studio’s bathrooms and office, incurring damage to its work computers and documents.
Sculpture Space in Utica Severely Vandalized. Sculpture Space is saddened to announce that their...
Posted by Sculpture Space, Inc. on Sunday, August 28, 2022
Tom Montan, the residency’s executive director,” told the New York Times that his heart was “broken.”
“I understand kids being kids, but this is so beyond that.”
Adding salt to the studio’s wounds was the fact that artworks donated for Sculpture Space’s upcoming annual auction, which will take place this month, have also been defaced.
The Utica Police Department says that, apart from vandalizing the site, the kids also stole antique bicycles, some objects, and hundreds of dollars from the space.
The juvenile delinquents were located at an automobile repair shop, where law enforcers spotted paint on their shoes consistent with the damage incurred at the studio.
At the time they were tracked down, the children were throwing rocks at cars.
An investigation into the incident brought mounting evidence “indicating that these parties were in fact responsible for the illegal entry, damage, and theft at the Sculpture Space,” explain police officers.
Sculpture Space says that it will still be going through the auction, which it plans yearly to raise funds. In addition, it has started a “vandalism recovery fund” to help restore its space.
The vandals have each been charged on counts of burglary in the third degree, criminal mischief, petit larceny, and criminal possession of stolen property. Due to the severity of the damage, Utica Police note that the charges might even be upgraded.
[via Artnet News and New York Times, images via Sculpture Space]
