Artists' work vandalized, stolen
Letter to the Editor
Last semester I organized an art exhibition at Reckers through the University club called the Arts Collective. The exhibition displayed the artwork of Notre Dame and St. Mary's students and was intended to be the first of many to be held at Reckers. Although the exhibition was a major success, a number of unfortunate incidents discouraged all involved. A few weeks after the opening, someone knocked a painting off the wall and destroyed the frame. After I replaced the frame and rehung the painting, it was stolen from Reckers. By the time the show was over, three additional thefts had occurred, one piece of art was damaged and a frame destroyed. To date, two of the works have not been returned. In all cases, students in the Arts Collective had to spend a large amount of time searching for the lost works and taking care of a variety of paperwork needed in such incidents. This was in the midst of their own busy schedules at the end of the year. We then had to apologize to and reimburse the artists, and this was both awkward and embarrassing for us. Most of all, we are extremely disappointed to know that our fellow students would treat art in this horrendous manner. Such vandalism can only be interpreted as a sign of disrespect and as representing the lack of understanding towards art by some members of our student body.
The Arts Collective has decided to sponsor the second students' art exhibition at Reckers this year, and we invite you to both enjoy the show and to help us make it a success. Artists and art majors work hard and take pride in their work. Some students at Notre Dame seem to think that art is an easy field to major in, but in addition to the long hours we spend in the studio, we have the same University requirements as anyone else here. Many of the pieces of art exhibited took months to complete, and most are the part of students' portfolios needed for graduation and lent to us for the show. We hope you will respect the work of your fellow students.
Considering the value of these art pieces, the Arts Collective will, from this semester forward, be forced to take legal actions against any person who vandalizes or steals work from Reckers. It would be unfortunate if we had to take such measures, but because of the incidents last spring, this has become a necessity. Any information about those pieces taken last spring would also be greatly appreciated. We will not ask any questions. All we want is to have the said works returned to the artists.
Members of the Arts Collective thank you for your support and for giving us the same respect every Notre Dame and St. Mary's student is entitled to.
Jo Mikals-Adachi
Secretary, Arts Collective
Junior BFA, Sorin Hall
November 1, 1999
All Viewpoint Stories for Tuesday, November 2, 1999
