By MICHAEL BUSHNELL
Northeast News
January  18, 2013

Constrained Chaos is a labor of love for artists Dick Jobe and Beth Nygard. So much so that they showed up this past Friday morning to diligently repair the damaged sculpture that was placed at the Concourse in October of 2011.

“They made a half-assed attempt at the theft. They stole half a butt-cheek,” Jobe says affectionately, referring to the roughly six-foot stolen section of the stainless steel sculpture that with another loop made what looked like an abstract human buttocks.

Scarritt Renaissance neighbors jumped in to action quickly to ensure the damage was repaired and the sculpture was made safe again for area kids to play on. Neighborhood association board member Malenda Shahane became aware of the vandalism and theft via an email that circulated earlier this week that lamented the almost relentless attack on structures and electrical boxes at the popular park.

Shahane notified the artists, who surveyed the damage Thursday evening and came back Friday morning to exact repairs.

Jobe noted that the piece that was stolen amounted to a couple of hours work at a minimum wage job.

“It’s just silly,” he noted. “We’ve capped and re-welded the parts that were cut and we’ll make it good as new. It’s just such a great centerpiece for the park.”

The repairs were expected to take only a couple of hours work. The Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood Association is considering the use of surveillance cameras or employing round-the-clock security guards in the area to avert additional vandalism and theft.