A sculpture resembling a bike rack outside the library baffled students and staff yesterday, as some students locked their bikes to the artwork, prompting the artist to agree to remove it.
The white sculpture, which replicated the blue bike racks outside the UA Main Library, was missing sections at the top of its bars. Bikes locked to the sculpture could easily be lifted off the rack, making the lock obsolete, as a student demonstrated.
Jason Butler, a fine arts graduate student, created the piece after two of his bikes were stolen, said Carlton Bradford, a sculpting instructor who knows Butler.
No specific reports have been filed regarding bike thefts from the sculpture, said Sgt. Eugene Mejia, UAPD spokesman.
The sculpture had two labels that read, "Honest by design," and included the sculptor's e-mail address.
"From my point of view, it's a good reaction piece," Bradford said. He also said he was surprised that the flaw in the sculpture, which differentiated it from the functional racks, failed to prevent people from locking their bikes to it.
The sculpture was placed outside the Art building a few weeks ago, and no one locked bikes to it while it was there, Bradford said.
Some students just didn't notice the problem.
"I probably wouldn't have thought about it," said Renee Goodwin, anthropology senior, after she walked up to the sculpture and almost locked her bike to it.
But others saw the potential problem right away. As soon as Andrew Bruggeman approached the sculpture, he wondered why people had locked their bikes to it.
"It looks like those bikes are going to get stolen," said Bruggeman, an elementary education junior.
He said he would not have locked his bike to the sculpture, but wondered why the artist had chosen to place it right next to the other bike racks.
Butler was not available for comment last night.
As students walked by the rack looking confused, representatives from Parking and Transportation Services showed up to investigate the artwork.
They had received a call from Jim Fromm, the director of facilities planning and management at the library. Fromm thought the rack had been bolted to the brick sidewalk outside the library and was concerned that it had not been approved.
"Because it's a bike rack and it's supposed to be secure, it drew people in," Fromm said. He thought the piece could turn into a liability.
Charlie Guerin, chair of the UA Public Art Advisory Committee, which approves all public art on campus, had not heard of the sculpture as of yesterday afternoon.
"Sometimes that happens; sometimes somebody would just put something out," Guerin said.
If unapproved art appears on campus, Guerin said the committee reviews it.
"We have to make sure things are safe and can't injure people," he said.
Guerin also said it is not in the capacity of the advisory committee to remove unapproved sculptures from campus, but that it would be important to keep bikes off a work of public art.
On the other hand, Charles Franz, program coordinator for Alternative Transportation, said it might consider removing the rack because it could cause problems.
He also suggested posting a sign so students did not take the risk of parking their bikes at the insecure structure.
"We should get signs on here that say, ĪThis is not a bike rack. Do not park bikes on it,'" Franz said.
Fromm said he had contacted Butler after he spoke with PTS, which is in charge of bike racks.
Butler agreed to remove the sculpture yesterday afternoon, but when he tried, there were bikes locked to it. He told Fromm he would return later in the evening to get it.
"He was really responsible. He understood what my response was," Fromm said.
"I'm sure he elicited the kind of response he got," he added.