The opening reception for The Hive gallery's "All Coronado Art Show 2014" doesn't start until 7 p.m. tonight.
But already a piece is missing.
After opening up shop around 8 a.m. this morning, gallery owners Steve and Julia Fournier noticed that a single piece of art had been removed from their annual show. After searching property, they immediately contacted artist Maggie Keane to let her know that her only work in the community exhibition, Wrapture, was nowhere to be found.
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"When she called me I knew it was bad," says Keane. "She obviously wasn't calling to say, 'What are you going to wear tonight?' It was going to be something serious."
Although there were no signs of forced entry, the Fourniers and Keane filed a police report this afternoon, noting that gallery had been closed and securely locked by 6:30 p.m. Thursday, September 18, and that none of their studio tenants had entered the building thereafter.
Still the Fourniers and Keane suspect that should someone had really wanted to break in and steal the art, they could -- climbing up onto the roof and then down through the atrium, perhaps even sliding the 34-by-24-inch painting under the gate.
"Where there's a will, there's a way," says Keane.
Wrapture is Keane's most recent work and was created specifically for the Coronado art show. It is valued at $2,100.
With only a few hours left before the show's opening reception, Keane is rushing to have a print made of the work that should have been on display.
She encourages anyone who comes into possession of the painting to slide it back under the gate anonymously. No questions will be asked.
For more information about the "All Coronado Art Show" or the missing artwork, visit hivegallery.com.
Editor's note: This post has been modified from its original version.
