Art News

Someone Swipes Giant Cactus Statue from New Mexico Library

ALBUQUERQUE (AP).- Police in Albuquerque, N.M., are investigating a thorny theft case of gigantic proportions. KOB-TV reports someone stole a giant fiberglass cactus Monday night from behind a public library. High school students spent an entire summer building the $50,000 art piece shaped like a prickly pear cactus. They were part of a nonprofit group that provides art education for at-risk kids. City officials say thieves probably unbolted the bright green cactus from the ground and used a pickup truck or van to cart it off. The city says the statue doesn’t weigh much so it was likely easy to carry off into the night. A nearby resident, Paul Freshour, says the statue is probably pretty tough to hide, so he’s hopeful that officials will recover it.