[CPProt.net] Sculpture missing from NEW SMYRNA BEACH underpass

[MSN CPPnet (Ton Cremers)]

Sculpture missing from NSB underpass 

By MARK I. JOHNSON 
Staff Writer 

Last update: December 06, 2005 


NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Call it the case of the fish that got away.

New Smyrna Beach police are trying to get a line on the disappearance of a
10-foot sculpture of a mahi-mahi. The piscatorial piece of art by DeLand
artist Harry Messersmith was last seen hanging under the Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. overpass over U.S. 1.

"This is a mystery that needs to be solved," Messersmith said.

Cmdr. Wade Kirby said city officials reported the artwork missing Friday
night. However, no one is sure how long it has been gone.

He said witnesses indicated the 100-pound, aluminum sculpture was "dangling"
from its mounting cable sometime in late September or early October. Shortly
afterward they noticed it was gone. Kirby said he could not speculate why
the witnesses had not reported the fish missing earlier.

Messersmith said the fish, one of six crafted for a multi-media installation
that transformed the underpass into an undersea world, is valued at between
$8,000 and $10,000.

The artist said each of the sculptures hung from a three-eighths-inch
stainless steel cable attached to a bracket designed to withstand winds of
150 mph or more.

"If it was stolen I am disappointed," he said. "But if it fell in a
windstorm, I want to know what happened."

The 2002 urban art project was a collaboration between the city, Atlantic
Center of the Arts at Harris House and the community redevelopment agency.

"We are disappointed this piece is gone," arts center spokeswoman Nancy
Lowden Norman said. "This is great public art for our community that
showcases the talents of our area children and artists."

The sculpture can be returned to the city with no questions asked, said
redevelopment agency director Shannon Lewis. Anyone with information about
the missing artwork is asked to contact police at (386) 424-2220..

mark.johnson at news-jrnl.com

http://www.news-journalonline.com/