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Art Walk chair vandalized in Lake Country

The chair had been placed on the Rail Trail in Oyama
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A chair painted by artist Margaret Kyle for the 2020 Art Walk in Lake Country was recently damaged. (Facebook/Penny Smith)

Lake Country prides itself in the arts, hosting an annual Art Walk to celebrate the variety of artists and artistic mediums in the community.

In 2020, the Art Walk had to be modified due to pandemic restrictions, one of the ways the committee did this was to commission more than 40 artists to turn wooden chairs into a masterpiece.

Unfortunately, the masterpiece by Margaret Kyle situated on the Rail Trail in Oyama was damaged over the weekend (Dec. 3).

“When we put the chairs out we were aware that there was always a possibility. They’re a bit of a vulnerability. They’re made of wood and so they can be ruined,” said Sharon McCoubrey, Art Walk chairperson.

McCoubrey noted it’s not the first time one of the chairs has been damaged.

“It’s really puzzling to try and understand why someone would choose to do that. What is it that motivates them?”

McCourbrey said the damaged chair and an accompanying chair that was not damaged with it were picked up with the hopes to repair the damage.

Her husband will make repairs to the chair if possible, but they likely won’t be returned to the same location.

“Sometimes making the statement that this is valued by the community and we’ll just try again, sometimes you can look at it that way. One of the individuals passing by that we chatted with about it thought there are some other parks within the Oyama ward and maybe Kaloya Park or Pioneer Park might be options. Whether or not they’re any safer in another location is really hard to know.”

McCoubrey said they plan to keep the chair in Lake Country if it can be repaired.

Chairs from the 2020 Art Walk can be seen in communities throughout the Okanagan as the district gifted them to other municipalities.

Lake Country kept five chairs to place around the district.

READ MORE: Dogs allowed off-leash at Kopje Regional Park in Lake Country this winter


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Brittany Webster

About the Author: Brittany Webster

A video journalist with Black Press Media. I recently made the exciting move from my radio anchor position at AM 1150 to this new venture.
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