Donated artwork in South Lake Tahoe destroyed by vandals

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It was "heartbreaking" for David and Jamie Orr to find artwork displayed outside their South Lake Tahoe business destroyed by vandal(s) over the weekend.

Malcolm Tibbets, a former vice president at Heavenly Mountain Resort and now a professional wood turner, created the three pieces that have been seen outside the Cowork Tahoe building for the past four years.

One of the three pieces of art that greeted the passerby along Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Harrison Avenue is now in pieces.

Each of the displays is thousands of pieces of wood that fit together like a puzzle. After gluing, the wood is put on a lathe and shaped with special woodworking tools as it spins, giving the form of creation the term woodturning.

In 2017 the three pieces were part of a larger display that were at the Burning Man Festival. As seen here, the large piece of art at the festival known for a focus on community, art, and self-expression, was also vandalized.

The heartbreak from the desert then found a new home in front of Cowork Tahoe, known as the Tahoe Mountain Lab at the time. Many said as they drove by, the art brought a smile to their face.

For almost four years, Tibbetts art was admired and appreciated until a person, or persons, decided their random act of hate and violence would be a better choice.

When the Orrs posted the travesty on Facebook Sunday, comment after comment spoke about the heartache the poster felt, the shock and disbelief that anyone could do this in South Lake Tahoe.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department has a case opened the vandalism, Case #2107-3121. Their phone number is 530.542.6100.