Bold thief nabs artwork near Olive and Ivy
Sculpture Swiped From Scottsdale Waterfront Art Festival
Someone walked off with more than a good time at the Scottsdale Waterfront Fine Art and Wine Festival last weekend. A ceramic and mosaic sculpture titled Rhapsody in Blues Wheel by artist Charles Sherman was reported stolen overnight during the 15th annual event produced by Thunderbird Artists.
According to the Scottsdale Police Department, the piece disappeared sometime between 5 p.m. on Friday, January 31 and 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 1. The sculpture had been displayed at the festival entrance on North Marshall Way near the popular Olive and Ivy restaurant, one of the most visible and heavily trafficked spots along the Scottsdale Waterfront.
Sherman is no stranger to Valley art lovers. The Los Angeles-based sculptor is renowned for his Möbius strip-inspired infinity ring sculptures, hand-built from clay using ancient construction techniques and often adorned with glass mosaic, agates and fossils. His work sits in museum collections nationwide, including the San Diego Museum of Art and the Mobile Museum of Art. Closer to home, his monumental ceramic sculpture Serenity has been installed at the Fountain Park Sculpture Garden in Fountain Hills since 2013. He took first place at the Tempe Festival of the Arts and was a featured artist at the Scottsdale Waterfront festival in 2015.
The three-day festival drew an estimated 20,000 visitors to the canal-side venue at 7135 East Camelback Road, where 125 artists displayed paintings, sculptures, photography and jewelry alongside wine tastings and live music.
Sherman is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible. Anyone with information about the sculpture or the theft is encouraged to contact the artist directly or reach out to Scottsdale Police.
It takes a special kind of bold to steal a sculpture from a festival entrance in Old Town Scottsdale. Here's hoping someone saw something.
Sources: Scottsdale Progress Thunderbird Artists | Visit Phoenix | Charles Sherman Art | Wikipedia | Saatchi Art