Downtown art exhibit vandalized has been restored, organizers say

Local News

The replica satellite on the hood of the car of “Alouette” in Downtown Crossing was reattached Monday.

The art installation “Alouette” Rockefeller is part of WINTERACTIVE, Downtown Boston’s Outdoor Winter Art Exhibition. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

The replica satellite that was allegedly torn off a public artwork by a masked vandal last week was reinstalled Monday, organizers said.

Police responded to the sculpture “Alouette” Wednesday on Washington Street in Downtown Crossing, where a witness told police that a man wearing a black face covering, a black and white hat, a black puffer jacket, and tan work boots had pulled the replica satellite off the car around 10:15 a.m., according to a police report obtained by Boston.com.

“Alouette,” a sculpture by Canadian Brandon Vickerd, is a Nissan Altima complete with a parking ticket and a replica of the 1962 Canadian satellite Alouette, appearing as if it crashed onto the hood of the parked car, according to Vickerd. The exhibit is part of the Downtown Boston Alliance’s WINTERACTIVE and is one of more than 15 displays in Boston through March 30.

The unknown person “tore the satellite off the hood of the vehicle and dragged it across the ground before fleeing the scene. The bracket for the satellite was broken and the mount on the hood where it was attached was stripped,” the report said.

However, the sculpture remained effectively intact, Downtown Boston Alliance President Michael Nichols said. He said the group was able to move the replica satellite to a storage facility and reattach it to the exhibit Monday.

“Any time you put something out in the public realm like this, you have to be prepared for stuff like this,” Nichols said. “We believe it’s back to the condition it was.”

Vickerd told Boston.com Sunday that “Alouette” has been on display in various cities since 2018, but he’s seen the sculpture “take on a life of its own” in Boston.

“The response has been really quite positive in Boston,” Vickerd said, referencing multiple viral online videos and reactions, “and I have nothing but good things to say about the downtown core and the people at WINTERACTIVE and the people who’ve interacted with it in a positive way.”

Nichols echoed Vickerd’s sentiments, noting that the vandalism is “almost ironic” with all the online attention “Alouette” has already garnered.

“‘Alouette’ has been a sensation. People have loved this artwork,” Nichols said. “That’s why we’re so eager to get it back available quickly, and we’re now thrilled that it’s fully back and available for people to view.”