GRAND RAPIDS, Mich —
Artist Marv Graff from Kansas City, MO left his Grand Rapids' ArtPrize installation Sunday at the JW Marriott hotel for a quick break. When he came back, a vintage crown on top of his “I’ll be Swan” sculpture was missing.
“It's the idea, or the vision, of a swan swimming in a pool, in a pond, in the park, and it is made out of pearls, and it had a crown setting on its head, a black crown made of Austrian crystal stones,” Graff said. “And unfortunately, it was stolen.”
Graff said he has a vision for each of his pieces. He searches vintage stores for inspiration and thought the black vintage crown was perfect. He doesn’t think he’ll be able to replace it.
“To find the perfect piece that goes together is really, it's hard to do and I love the vision of this one with the crown on it,” he said. “It's really sad.”
Security at the JW Mariott was “really helpful” and “intense” in finding the alleged art thief. They handed the footage that showed the crown being stolen over to the police.
He asks whoever has the crown, or knows of its whereabouts, to find it in their heart to give it back.
“They could bring it back to the desk at the Marriott, or there's an ArtPrize hub that I know,” he said. “I mean, I don't think people would ask a lot of questions. We just like to get it back.”
And he doesn’t want whoever took it to face repercussions.
“I'm not looking for vengeance,” he said. “No, I just would really like to have it back because it's part of the vision that I had and, and now the vision is kind of ruined for me.”
The sculpture took Graff three months to make. A lot of his work is inspired by vintage materials and his background in costume jewelry, mixed media and textile art.
The swan's name came from a familiar expression he heard growing up.
“'I'll be swan’ was an expression of exasperation that my grandmother used to use,” he said. “She, if she got frustrated or frustrated at the little kids running around her house, she'd go well. ‘I’ll be swan.’ And so, I named it after her.”
His ArtPrize installation as a whole was modeled after a European park scene. Other sculptures include a revolving horse carousel and a moving carnival barker.
Graff's ArtPrize sculptures and other works can be found on his website.