OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – A beloved landmark along I-96 in Oakland County has fallen victim to vandalism.
---> Update: We finally know who cut down the iconic I-96 orange man sculpture
The orange man on the hill sculpture disappeared overnight, shocking many, including the artist.
“I drive this road every day, so I see it going and coming, and I pulled up today, and I’m like, I guess it’s not there anymore,” artist John Sauve said.
After 15 years of standing atop a landfill off I-96 near the Milford Road exit, a suspected vandal cut down the sculpture.
Measuring 15 feet tall and weighing 2,000 lbs., the piece of art is left lying on the hill, no longer standing upright.
“Over the 15 years that this was up, I’ve had more stories, and more people reach out to me and tell me what it meant to them, and for them to tell me what their interpretation is, that’s amazing,” Sauve said.
The sculpture is part of the artist’s theme. In Detroit, 100 small cutouts of the silhouette are featured on rooftops.
However, the I-96 installation was something of its own.
“This is the hazard of public art; you can’t be policing it 24/7,” Sauve said.
While disappointed, Suave isn’t defeated. He said to stay tuned for the next chapter.
“That’s the exciting thing about it for me,” Suave said. “We’re going to do something with it; I just don’t know what.”