Sidmouth phone box housing artist’s sculptures vandalised

A red phone box in Sidmouth's Market Square that had been turned into a 'micro museum' was vandalised over the bank holiday weekend.

Three panes of glass were broken, but the plasticine sculptures being housed inside were not damaged. Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub removed them temporarily as they replaced the glass on Monday (28 August).

Made by artist Wilfrid Wood, Holiday Makers of Sidmouth is the first exhibition in one of the two newly transformed booths dubbed the 'Museum of Contemporary Art'.

Holiday Makers of Sidmouth sculptures inside Museum of Contemporary Art phone booth (Sidmouth School of Art)

Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub director Louise Cole said: "Three panes of glass were broken – the sculptures were not – we removed them before they could be and to avoid anyone cutting themselves on the glass. 

"Yesterday the sculptures were replaced as were the glass panes."

'We are not deterred'

Louise continued: "The silly, mindless actions of a tiny minority are a shame, but we are not deterred and will continue to bring, art, culture and improve places and spaces in our community which contributes to community wellbeing. 

"Behind each project we do as Sidmouth School of Art and Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub there is a highly collaborative and participatory process – providing more people with more and different opportunities to explore their creativity and to learn new skills.

"We are grateful and happy that we have received so many positive comments about the refurbishments of the telephone boxes and for the installations in them and for our Sidmouth Wallspace exhibitions. 

"We have a number of other community projects in the pipeline – so look forward to working with more and more people and other local organisations and artists, to having fun and continuing to regenerate unloved spaces bringing creativity and joy in the process!"

SEE ALSO: New sculptures of Sidmouth holiday makers now on display