<< Front page News April 23, 2004

Alex Berger’s art stolen, vandalised

Alex Berger’s senior art show in Fisher Hall was burglarized and vandalized Saturday morning.

Berger’s CD player, four corked, multi-colored hand-blown glass jars about three inches tall and 12 hand-blown glass pendants about one inch long comprising more than half her installation were stolen.

“I found out four hours before my closing reception,” Berger said. “I had to change everything around.”

Berger said the 12 pendants, which were hanging on wires, were not taken in any order and seemed to be selected by preference.

Berger was notified of the thefts by Photography Professor Pipo Nguyen-Duy, who Berger said had seen high school students behind the art building. Berger said that Nguyen-Duy told her that the students were in the process of stealing bikes and rode them away when they saw him. Nguyen-Duy then went into the gallery, saw the theft and locked up.

Nguyen-Duy could not be reached for comment.

Berger immediately called Safety and Security and the police, whom she said took her information haphazardly.

Berger said that she questioned their handling of the case.

According to Berger, the police said the description she gave from Nguyen-Duy was not enough. Nguyen-Duy described the students as ages 14 to 16, five foot nine to ten, buzzcut and Caucasian.

Since the thefts, Berger said wires from which the pendants were hung were found on North Pleasant Street between Lorain Street and the middle school. Berger said a broken pendant was found in Tappan Square.

Berger said the Art Department will meet with the Dean of Students this week to ask for increased security in the galleries during weekends.

“It isn’t fair to the art community to have to close the galleries during the weekend,” Berger said. “They are supposed to be a safe space for art.”

Berger asked anyone with information about the thefts to contact her at Alexandra.Berger@oberlin.edu.


 
 
   

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