A popular art studio at the corner of St. Claude and Spain Street in New Orleans, known for teaching muralists since 1991, has been vandalized and ransacked, leaving the community to restore the space.
“I would like to see the graffiti stopped. Also, the burglary, I would like to stop that stopped,” said muralist Richard Thomas, who owns the building.
Thomas described the extent of the vandalism, saying, “I almost feel like it was at least three of them that broke through this window and decided to stay a while so they could pull out all of the wires, all the copper tubing, all the copper pipes, they dismantled all of my bathrooms and they bust holes in the wall and took copper wiring out of the walls.”
Over the years, Thomas has dealt with various incidents of vandalism, including stolen signs, busted windows, and even clients’ cars being burglarized. However, he noted that within the last month, the situation has escalated.
“This neighborhood has had a history of violence and crime, and I kind of weathered the storm all those years. This is not the first time they’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to steal something,” Thomas said.
Thomas said the New Orleans Police Department is investigating the incident, but he has not been informed of any leads or possible suspects. The community is now lending hands to make the art studio a clean, creative space once again.
READ MORE:Popular St. Claude art studio ransacked and vandalized
