Who Steals a 3-Foot-Tall Safety Pin?

For the past month, the large atrium of the has been filled with photos, paintings, mixed media pieces and even a hand-made surfboard, all created by city of Mill Valley officials and employees as part of the .

But as the month draws to a close, perhaps the exhibit’s most unique piece – a 3-foot-tall sculpture of a safety pin – has gone missing, and the community center’s staff has no idea where it went. The sculpture (photo at right), titled "Extra Safety Pin," was created by Mill Valley Art Commissioner Tony Coyle, who values the piece at $2,500.would ask you to please report it to the police department.

The 72-year-old Coyle, who began sculpting four years ago and uses the College of Marin’s facilities for most of his work, last saw “Extra Safety Pin” at the reception on June 5. He regularly visits the community center to hit the gym but hadn’t walked through the lobby to see his sculpture until June 21, when he wanted to know when he should retrieve it and realized it was gone.

It’s the only piece of art missing from the exhibit.

“I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or as an insult,” Coyle said. “I guess nobody there is paying attention to the art on the walls.”

Coyle filed a stolen property report (Case #MV 12-935) with the , and is asking anyone with information about the theft to get in touch with police.