Lantern designed by acclaimed First Nations artist stolen outside Vancouver Art Gallery
It’s the final week of Lantern City in Vancouver, an annual Lunar Near Year event celebrating the work of local artists from different cultural backgrounds.
But just days before the colourful installation of three-metre-tall lanterns on the north lawn of the the Vancouver Art Gallery was set to be removed, one of them was stolen at 2 a.m. Monday. The theft was caught on surveillance video.
“I did get to take a look at the footage, it’s just two figures – two dark figures in the night – taking the lantern. One of them scaled the lantern to try and get the cloth off, and obviously they succeeded,” said Michael Lin, a production manager with Lantern City.
He suspects the thieves knew what they were taking. The lantern was designed by acclaimed First Nations artist and Order of Canada recipient Richard Hunt.
“He’s done a lot of great works, and has been recognized fo his artwork across Canada,” said Lin.
Reached at his home in Victoria, Hunt says it’s the second time he submitted a design for Lantern City. “I did one last year, and I like the concept of seeing your work in a big format. I actually never got to see the one last year, and I guess I won’t get too see the the one this year,” said Hunt, who added the lantern design honoured members of his family.
“Hopefully they took it because they liked it, not … because they hated it. So that’s the way I look at it," he said. "I hope they enjoy it, I guess. But it’s too bad that this has to go on in this world."
The theft has been reported to police. Lin asked anyone who has seen a “very large lantern cloth" to contact the Vancouver Police Department.
He’s disappointed someone would take a piece of public art with deep cultural meaning.
“We put these in public places so that everyone can enjoy and appreciate the artistry and the storytelling behind each and every one of these pieces every year,” said Lin. “It was really sad to see that someone would actually do that.
"My Family III" by Richard Hunt is seen in this image from The Lantern City's Facebook page. (facebook.com/TheLanternCityInCanada)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978861.1722008569!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
At least 4 buildings burned at Jasper Park Lodge, others damaged: Fairmont memo
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge said Thursday afternoon most of its structures are 'standing and intact,' including its iconic main lodge.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.
'He was just gone': Police ramp up search for vulnerable 3-year-old boy in Mississauga, Ont.
Police in Mississauga are conducting a full-scale search of the city’s biggest park for a non-verbal toddler who went missing Thursday evening. Sgt. Jennifer Trimble told reporters Friday morning that there has been no trace of three-year-old Zaid Abdullah since 6:20 p.m., when he was last seen with his parents in Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road.
B.C.'s top doctor ends four-year COVID-19 public health emergency
After four years of mask mandates, gathering restrictions, vaccinations and hospitalizations, British Columbia’s provincial health officer has ended the province's public-health emergency for COVID-19.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Canada's Christine Sinclair: 'We were never shown drone footage'
Canada soccer great Christine Sinclair said on Friday national team players were never shown drone footage during the more than two decades she was on the team, following a spying scandal that cast a shadow over the Canadians at the Paris Games.
Sask. appeal court says anti-trans group cannot join constitutional dispute over pronoun law
Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal has denied a political group that opposes so-called “gender ideology” intervener status in a legal dispute over the province’s controversial pronoun law.
Powerful cartel leader 'El Mayo' Zambada was lured onto airplane before arrest in U.S., AP source says
A powerful Mexican drug cartel leader who eluded authorities for decades was duped into flying into the U.S., where he was arrested alongside a son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, according to a U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the matter.
Elon Musk's estranged daughter calls out his 'entirely fake' claims about her childhood
Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk's estranged daughter, publicly refuted several recent anti-trans statements her Tesla CEO and X owner father has made about her.