Stolen trees robbed us all

As crimes go, it was not the most sensational in recent memory, certainly not the most serious.

No shots were fired, no one was killed or injured and there were no reports of threats or intimidation, even though the witnesses lie mum.

Even so, the theft of four sculpted copper trees on display at Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum was an insult visited on the entire community.

These trees, called “Copper Copse 2007,” were the work of local artist Alicia Emley, who works under the name of Lish. There were five trees with thick copper tube trunks, each with stylized willowy whips, tangled branches or palm-like fronds made from metal tubing. They were part of Spring Grove’s first Bi-Annual Sculpture ShowÖ until somebody cut four of them off at the ground last week and hauled them away.

The value of art is incalculable. It’s measured in the joy and inspiration it brings to those who view it. It may inspire, provoke or entertain. The thieves saw none of that, probably selling them off for their worth as scrap – the latest in a recent upsurge in copper thefts that have been reported in the area. Police alerted local scrap dealers to be on the lookout for the distinctive pieces, but the trees may well have been shredded, compacted or melted down by the time the report was made.

These thieves (it’s hard to imagine a single person lugging away 5-foot high metal trees) were vandals. They destroyed as well as stole, clearly having no understanding, or desire to understand, what they were taking.

The sculptor told Enquirer arts reporter Sara Pearce that while she was shocked at the audacity of a theft from a fenced, gated and patrolled site, she was particularly saddened for Spring Grove and the patrons of the show. “I think this situation makes a powerful statement about how public works of art deserve respect and protection.” Pearce has been reporting about the trees and the theft on her Art blog here and here.

Spring Grove is a national landmark. Recognized as an arboretum as well as a cemetery, it also is the setting for frequent concerts, tours, walks and now, in conjunction with Summerfair, an art show. This theft violated that public function.