'Heartbreaking': Art theft at MSU Texas triggers security concerns in department
Art theft at MSU Texas over the weekend means two paintings — created by university alums and long displayed in the Fain Fine Arts Center — are apparently lost forever somewhere in a landfill.
Officials believe the irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind pieces ended up in a landfill after the thief tossed them in a dumpster.
MSU Texas police Chief Steven Callerman said Friday the police department identified a suspect from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and plans to file burglary charges against him.
The suspect, who is not a student at Midwestern State University, took the paintings and tried to give them as gifts after he was thrown out of a party.
"When that was denied, he threw them in the dumpster,” Callerman said. "Unfortunately the dumpster was emptied before we were able to get that story.”
The Plano resident was visiting friends for a party when he became very intoxicated.
"He was uninvited by the students that were on campus," the chief said. “So he began trying to find a place to stay."
He was able to gain entry to the arts department where he apparently spent the night. In the morning, he took the paintings to give as gifts, which were rejected.
Callerman said it was unknown how the student got into the building.
“We were having some events, so it was quite possible somebody had left, and one of the doors may have just not been latched all the way," Callerman said. "He was able to try enough doors until he finally found one that was loose enough to get in.”
The chief said the theft was unusual, adding it's "just a sad state of affairs that the guy’s got no appreciation for other people's work.”
He said the investigation is ongoing.
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Anyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
"We take this theft and the safety of our students very seriously as our students are our top priority," Professor Leah Gose, dean of the Fain College of Fine Arts, said in a statement emailed Friday.
On Thursday, Gose and her department chairs met with the university's IT department to discuss Fain's need for safety and security cameras, she said. They will be installed soon.
"This is heartbreaking," Gose said. "The art collection in the Harvey School of Visual Arts is part of the identity and culture not only in the art department but in the Fain College of Fine Arts and MSU Texas."
The artworks stolen were original pieces created by two very talented alums: "Alice" by Katey LaForge and "State of Soul II" by Robert Horvath, Gose said.
Callerman said "Alice" was purchased in 2013, and "State of Soul II" was bought in 1999.
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Gose said artwork is much more than decoration.
"Artists create their work as a means of communication between themselves and their audience," she said. "A great piece of art engages viewers in dialogue, opens doors to new worlds and challenges them to think and explore the world beyond themselves."
The paintings by Horvath and LaForge have done just that for over a decade, she said.
"They will be greatly missed," Gose said.
Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News in Wichita Falls, covers education, courts, breaking news, investigative projects and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Art theft at MSU Texas triggers security concerns
