LSUPD Capt. Ricky Adams said officers will increase patrols through the Quad after damage to an art exhibit in the Sculpture Garden.
Alair Wells, an art graduate student, told LSUPD her exhibit “Home?” was damaged this past weekend.
The exhibit consists of about 60 steel bird houses with miniature human figures perched like birds near the house doors. The bird houses range from 7 to 13 feet tall.
Three of the steel poles that hold the bird houses were bent at 90-degree angles.
Wells said this incident was the second time her artwork has been damaged. The steel poles were only slightly bent during the first incident during the previous weekend.
After the first incident Wells was able to repair the minor damage to the exhibit, but she said the second instance caused more damage.
“There has been over $1,000 worth of damage done so far in the two separate incidents,” Wells said.
Stewart Baron, director of the art department, said the latest incident is the only campus vandalism he knows about.
“I would assume it’s a random situation,” he said. “There’s not much evidence in other parts of campus, and I don’t see it as an ongoing problem.”
Danny Belanger, College of Art and Design director of external relations, said it is surprising there are not more incidents of campus vandalism. Belanger supervises the Sculpture Park.
“We haven’t had much vandalism, considering the number of people on campus with football games and things,” Belanger said.
Although College of Art and Design administrators think the damage caused to Wells’s exhibit is from isolated events, Wells said she thinks the vandalism reveals character flaws of some members of the campus community.
“It’s just disrespectful,” Wells said. “This is a university, not a playground.”
If anyone has information about the damage caused in the Sculpture Park, contact the LSUPD at 578-3231.