'Kony' tagged on Walker's 'Spoonbridge' sculpture
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
The Walker Art Center says vandals spray painted the iconic "Spoonbridge and Cherry" sculpture, as well as two other objects in the Walker sculpture garden over the weekend.
The vandals wrote messages about Joseph Kony, a Central African warlord. Kony's guerrilla group, the Lord's Resistance Army, has been responsible for thousands of child abductions and widespread killings over the last 25 years.
Walker spokesman Ryan French says it's not clear if the graffiti was tied to an official Twin Cities protest against Kony or if a fringe group was involved. The incident is under investigation.
French said spray paint was found on the spoon, a steel artwork by Tony Smith and the wall of a sculpture pad in the garden.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
The spray painted objects are getting cleaned up, French said. The cost of the restoration is not yet known.
"We do have a contingency fund for this type of maintenance that happens whether it's accidental or intentional vandalism like this," French said. "We bring in some of the best conservators to take care of our artwork, so we're hoping we can get it back to its original state."
A video about Joseph Kony went viral last month, drawing millions of viewers on YouTube and Vimeo.
Someone vandalized Spoonbridge and Cherry with "Kony." twitter.com/darthmauly/sta...
— Edwina (@darthmauly) April 23, 2012
