To the Bard College Community:

Early Sunday morning, a handful of students, one of whom was badly hurt in the process,
deliberately vandalized /The Parliament of Reality/, the outdoor sculpture under
construction near the Fisher Center. The sculpture was designed by Olafur Eliasson, one
of the most distinguished installation artists in the world. The sculpture, a gift from
one of the college’s patrons, will be dedicated on May 16.

Bard is a college that honors the arts. That is why the campus has outdoor sculptures
intended to be used and enjoyed without barriers, guards, cameras, or other restrictive
measures. We educate artists at Bard, and we honor their work. No artwork will please
everyone. There is no excuse or justification for vandalism of any kind, particularly of
a work of art. Vandalism abuses the freedom of movement that we all enjoy.

The student who was harmed during the vandalism has already paid a great price. The
others involved are being asked by the college to come forward. If they do not, the
college will proceed, in cooperation with the police, to investigate the matter and
prosecute them with the full force of the law. The college will also apply its own
disciplinary actions. There are several standard breaches of conduct that Bard, in
particular, cannot condone. These include plagiarism, and violence to individuals and
their work.

Incidents of this kind have been exceedingly rare. I can think of only two in recent
decades, each of which occurred when some new structure was introduced to the campus.
Some undergraduates are viscerally conservative when confronted by changes to a landscape
with which they have become familiar. While this conservatism can be understood
affectionately, students should remember that future generations will take for granted
what previous generations may have deemed to be intrusive and new. No institution stands
still. Students should also consider that the introduction of a major work of art to
Bard’s landscape, particularly in this era of economic stress, is a statement on behalf
of the arts at a time when they are in danger of being regarded by some as superfluous
and unnecessary.

Let us sustain the traditional spirit of respect and admiration for artists and the
making of art that has long dominated the Bard community. The natural exuberance of youth
and the antics associated with college life usually take a forgettable and benign turn.
This incident, however, has a streak of ugliness and vulgarity that cannot be overlooked.
Even though this vandalism was the work of a very few individuals, the college has now
invested more resources to secure and keep watch over the site.

Leon Botstein