Museum officials say the Five Moons statue of Marjorie Tallchief, a Native American ballerina, was likely removed Thursday from its plinth outside the Tulsa Historical Society, the Tulsa World reported. Michelle Place, director of the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, checked out some recovered pieces late Monday morning and verified that they came from the statue. As reported by the AP:
The Tulsa Police Department is working diligently to apprehend the thief, with the full support of the historical society
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A bronze statue depicting one of Oklahoma’s most famous Native American ballerinas, Marjorie Tallchief, was cut from its base outside a Tulsa museum and sold for scrap to a recycling company, authorities said Monday.
Museum officials received a call Monday from CMC Recycling in southwest Rogers County to identify what was believed to be pieces of the bronze statue, the newspaper reported.
Pieces of the statute, including the head and part of an arm, are still missing.
Place said the original mold for the statue burned in a foundry fire, so recreating the statute will be much more complicated.
“I am devastated by this,” she said.
The statues known as the Five Moons were created by Tulsa-area artists Monte England and Gary Henson. England worked on two of the pieces before his death in 2005, and Henson completed the project.
The other Five Moons statues of renowned American Indian ballerinas depict Yvonne Chouteau, Rosella Hightower, Moscelyne Larkin and Maria Tallchief, Marjorie Tallchief’s sister.
Source AP
