A piece of public art that went missing in September has been returned to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA).
The museum said on Wednesday afternoon that the wooden hand of the public sculpture titled Residential School Totem Pole by Charles Joseph was returned overnight on Tuesday. It was left outside the museum’s doorsteps and included a letter of apology.
Nathalie Bondil, director general and curator at the MMFA, said in a statement that it was “reassuring to observe the return of wisdom and clarity following an evening of inebriety.”
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“The letter of sincere apology that we received from the transient delinquents shows us that art educates and sensitizes us to all of the most important issues, notably our reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. The MMFA, therefore, withdraws its complaint,” she said.
The wooden hand initially went missing about two weeks ago during an act of vandalism on Sept. 20.
The sculpture was created by Joseph, an Indigenous artist and residential school survivor, between 2014 and 2016.
WATCH: Indigenous totem pole’s hand goes missing from Montreal Museum of Fine Arts