University of Guelph’s Campus Security Office in collaboration with the Guelph Police Service are investigating the recent theft of a sculpture from the Art Gallery of Guelph.
Located in the gallery’s Donald Forster Sculpture Park, the sculpture Feather is a 2.4-metre-high (8 feet) bronze rendition of a crow’s feather perched on the point of its quill. It was created in 1997 by pre-eminent Canadian sculptor John Greer, commissioned specifically for the Art Gallery of Guelph.
The artist, as well as the City of Guelph and the Upper Grand District School Board, who co-manage the gallery with the University, have all been notified of the theft.
“Feather has been an important landmark in the sculpture park and the wider city for almost three decades,” says Shauna McCabe, executive director of the Art Gallery of Guelph. “To have a work by a renowned Canadian artist forcibly removed and taken is extremely disheartening for the gallery as well as our partners – the University, City, and Upper Grand District School Board. An artwork like this becomes not only part of the national cultural landscape but part of the everyday lives of community members.”
Anyone with information on the theft is asked to contact Guelph Police Service Const. John Hunt at 519-824-1212, ext. 7359 or jhunt@guelphpolice.ca, They can also leave an anonymous message for Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or leave an anonymous tip online at CSGW.tips
Community members can also contact the Campus Safety Office at 519-824-4120, ext. 52245.