Another Wild Horse damaged

Jul 25, 2021

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Wild Horse Damage — "Copper Turquoise Skies" by artist Kimberly Mask was missing its tail on Sunday. The work of art is installed outside of Maricopa Elementary School. Photo by Brian Petersheim Jr.

For the second time in a week, the tail of a Wild Horse has been broken.

This time it appears the appendage is missing from the statue.

The artwork by artist Kimberly Mask, titled “Copper Turquoise Skies,” is installed outside of Maricopa Elementary School. It was sponsored by the Be Awesome Coalition.

On Sunday afternoon, the piece of art was spotted without its tail. It is not know when the actual damage occurred.

Last week, the tail was broken off “Celestial,” a Wild Horse statue on display at the Copper Sky Recreation Complex. It is the work of local artist Bonnie Del Turco and sponsored by the Ray Nieves Family. Del Turco repaired the damage.

That damage was apparently done by a juvenile without malicious intent, according to the city.

But Nathan Ullyot, the city’s director of community services, said late last week he wasn’t sure the repair of “Celestial” would be sustainable. The cost could be significant, he said, noting “we might have to replace the entire project, which could cost up to $5,000.”

Maricopa police said the teen was charged with criminal damage, but no physical arrest was made.

According to Ullyot, the city will pursue the charges to send a message that vandalism will not be tolerated. To prevent further incidents, the city plans to install stanchions connected by chains around the horse “to make it clear it is not a toy or physical art.”

The barriers will be low to the ground and will not impede the view of the horse, which stands just over four feet tall and seven feet long from nose to tail.

“The horses have been well received by the public with many posing near the horses and taking pictures,” Ullyot said. “The city wants to encourage viewers of the horses to enjoy them from an appropriate distance so that the art is not damaged in any way. As attractive as it might be to straddle the horses or set a child on top of one, damage can occur.

Ullyot asked residents of the city to keep watch over the horses and address any interactions that could lead to damage. That may prevent incidents of horseplay from resulting in damage.

The Wild Horses are part of the City Manager’s first public art initiative, “Maricopa Wild Horses,” which commissioned 10 local artists to design and decorate horse statues. So far, eight have been installed at various spots around the city, including Maricopa Library and Cultural Center, Pacana Park and City Hall. The final two will be installed later this summer.

Jay Taylor contributed to this report.