Seven years of bad luck: Mirror-covered Cy statue faces damage
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
Iowa State and the Ames Chamber of Commerce partnered on the CyclONE City project to place 30 different versions of Cy around the city of Ames and campus. “See Yourself in Ames,” sponsored by the Ames Chamber of Commerce, stands on Main Street at Kellogg Avenue. The artist is Michael Gilger from Ames.
April 10, 2018
Officials are puzzled after finding the severed arm of one of Ames’ iconic Cy statues on Main Street this Monday.
The detached limb was lying near the figure’s base in otherwise fine condition at the time of its discovery. It is unclear whether or not the damage was intentional, and no witnesses have come forward to clarify the situation.
Ames Police Cmdr. Geoff Huff said the incident had not been reported as a criminal matter, meaning no investigation is currently underway.
“I’m not even sure who owns it,” Huff said of the statue. “Until someone calls it in, we can’t do anything.”
The mirror-covered statue, titled “See Yourself in Ames,” is one of 30 life-sized Cy figures placed throughout Ames as a part of 2014’s CyclONE City initiative.
They were funded by various local organizations, such as the Ames Chamber of Commerce, who paid for the production of the now-damaged reflective Cy.
Standing prominently in the center of Ames’ Main Street Cultural District, the “See Yourself in Ames” Cy has welcomed visitors and residents alike without incident for nearly four years.
Local artists designed the statues with the dual purpose of raising funds for charity and culturally enriching the city, and all but two of them are still on public display throughout Ames.
