Thousands of Beads Taken From ArtPrize Entry

Jeffrey Augustine Songco’s ArtPrize installation “Revelry” at Calder Plaza is a 200 foot long chain link fence originally decorated with 2,700 pounds of Mardi Gras beads.

Only a fraction of those beads remain after most were taken by ArtPrize visitors on Saturday.

"Revelry" originally featured nearly 30,000 necklaces. Volunteers, including schoolchildren on a field trip to ArtPrize, helped Songco install the necklaces on the fence before ArtPrize began.

Since the start, visitors have been invited to bring their own beads and add them to the fence. Signs posted at the installation clarified the intention of the piece, but on Saturday the necklaces began disappearing during the afternoon. By the end of the day almost all were gone.

On Sunday, some of the beads were returned. Visitors are still invited to place beads on the fence.

Songco is disappointed, but is taking it in stride. Songco said, "The work of art evolved with the public, and the public evolved with the work of art."