MTA asks for community support after ‘Diversity in Motion’ art installation in downtown Macon is severely damaged
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Macon-Bibb County Transit Authority (MTA) is asking for the public’s help after the “Diversity in Motion” art installation at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and Cherry Street was damaged earlier this month.
A downtown business owner discovered the damage to the “Art Stop” on Sunday, August 18, according to an MTA press release. The artwork, which was unveiled in February 2021 as part of a collaboration between the MTA and the Macon Arts Alliance, was badly damaged. Larger pieces were broken off and found discarded on Cherry Street, and several smaller pieces were missing. Only three of the 22 original rings remain, and the six and a half aluminum spheres that crowned the sculpture are gone.
Funded by the Community Foundation of Central Georgia’s 2019 Downtown Challenge and grants from the Peyton Anderson Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the installation was designed to enhance downtown with its vibrant display of colorful balls and metal rings. The artwork was designed by Jim Bodell of JR Bodell Sculpture, Inc. to reflect the diversity of people and transportation in Macon.
“The damage to the beloved ART STOP amounts to several thousand dollars, and it is especially brazen that the crime occurred on the corner of a major downtown intersection,” said MTA CEO Craig Ross. “We hope the public will work with us and law enforcement to solve this crime and prevent future attacks on public art.”
The vandalism is believed to have occurred between the evening of Saturday, August 17 and the morning of Sunday, August 18. According to MTA, an incident report has been filed with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and an investigation is ongoing.
“This senseless destruction is at odds with the love, talent and resources it takes to create art that enriches our city,” MTA said in an email. “We must send the message as a community that we are vigilant and will report criminal activity and prosecute offenders.”
MTA asks anyone with information to call Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68-CRIME. Tips can be submitted anonymously and rewards are being offered for information leading to an arrest.
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