Boca mystery: Who set sculpture ablaze?
BOCA RATON — Chieko Mihori received an honor from the emperor of Japan for her practice of ikebana, the ancient art of flower arrangement.
But Mihori received a different kind of response May 9 when her mixed-media sculpture at the Boca Raton Museum Art School went up in flames, creating a brief bonfire on tree-lined Palmetto Park Road.
An investigator suspects arson, the school says.
So who set Mihori’s work ablaze? And why? Was it hooligans aimed at random vandalism or was the fire a new form of art criticism?
“It’s a mystery. Everybody here is wondering why,” said Inga Ford, the art school’s interim director.
Mihori, who worked with six students at the art school to create the sculpture, said she wants to talk to the person or people who set the sculpture afire.
“Everyone loves flowers and through flowers, we create friends, through ikebana, we create peace,” said Mihori, who is also a renowned dancer and a fixture at the Morikami Museum. “There is so much violence in this world. So, we tried to create peace. I wish I could get this person to appreciate this kind of art.”
Mihori, 83, used mostly found items to create the same kind of arrangements she does with flowers, only on a grander scale. The sculpture, which was installed about six months ago, is a mixed-media piece including a red wooden framework adorned with large branches and steel to resemble giant stems and leaves.
Its installation on the west end of the museum’s back lawn became a topic of conversation among some residents of nearby neighborhoods.
“Not my particular taste, but hate any vandalism,” wrote Nancy Wright, a resident of nearby Boca Raton Square, to a posting on a neighborhood bulletin board about the fire.
Mihori’s biggest fear when she heard of the fire is that it spread to the art school building. The Boca Raton Fire Department quickly doused the flames, and for the most part, the artwork survived with just part of the wooden structure and its branches singed.
“The message here is beauty,” Ford said. “The biggest concern was that it could set the trees on fire. The investigator is taking it very seriously.”
Ford said the piece might have been targeted because it is the only sculpture at the back of the museum that uses wood as a medium.
The investigator with the Florida State Fire Marshall did not return phone calls for comment.
If the aim was to destroy the sculpture, the mission may have been accomplished. The art school plans on dismantling it once the investigation is complete. But it hasn’t daunted Mihori’s mission to bring art to the masses of east Boca Raton.
She plans a new sculpture, possibly using salvaged pieces. “This time,” she said, “I’ll try to pick material that is not flammable.”