Bunnies vandalized - Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) – They've been making headlines ever since they were installed earlier this year. Now, those Dedham bunnies are in the news again.
    
Two of the 15 decorative rabbits have been vandalized.
    
The Dedham Art Project put up the sculptures and says they are working to quickly repair them.
    
The damaged bunnies include the Pete Hamilton Racecar Bunny and Bengal Bunny at Paul Park. The guys first grabbed attention when the bunny "Leroy" was placed in a park honoring veterans and the vets didn't like it. Eventually, the bunny was allowed to stay and renamed "Peace."



Statement from Dedham Public Art Project:

We're disheartened that two of the fifteen Dedham Public Art sculptures have been damaged, but we take solace in the outpouring of support that we've had from the community. Last night, the Pete Hamilton Racecar Bunny's spoiler was damaged, after the vandals tried unsuccessfully to remove the sculpture altogether. We are conferring with the artist about the best way to repair the spoiler, as the materials she used to sculpt it were very expensive and hard to acquire. The other damaged sculpture, Bengal Bunny at Paul Park, should have its ear replaced in the next two to three weeks.  The sculptures are quite expensive to repair, and require a great deal of effort from the artists who have already worked incredibly hard to complete the sculpture in the first place.

Over the course of the project we've been struck by how much the sculptures have served as ambassadors of Dedham. Children and adults alike are sharing stories and photos of the bunnies via facebook, twitter, blogs, and flickr, which have spread photographs and pride for our town around the globe. Locally, we've seen the joy the sculptures bring, and the bonds people have formed with one another as they stop to admire the rabbits. This ability for the sculptures to build community and promote Dedham is what makes this senseless vandalism so discouraging. We hope those who appreciate the sculptures will go out of their way to watch out  for them and promote them, and we hope that even those who don't care for the sculptures themselves will appreciate their value to others, and to our town, and discourage these acts of vandalism.