HICKORY, N.C. — A larger-than-life thumbtack, which sat outside ATAC Gallery, has been stolen, according to the art gallery's owner. Hunter Speagle, the owner of the gallery in northwest Hickory, said the theft happened last Tuesday.
"No one's going to take a big giant thumbtack," he said in disbelief. "The fact that they did was very shocking to us."
The giant, red thumbtack weighs 40 pounds and is worth around $50,000, according to Speagle. This giant thumbtack has been a staple of the gallery. Speagle also took it on the road, hosting pop-up showings for years.
Surveillance video shows what Speagle believes is a red Jeep Wrangler pulling into the parking lot outside the gallery around 7 p.m. last Tuesday. Speagle then describes seeing the suspects spending hours trying to take the tack.
Speagle said the suspects managed to get the thumbtack atop their car before driving away causing part of it to break off.
For Speagle, the thumbtack was more than art. He used the art display to teach his daughter and other kids in the community about creativity. Now he has taught her a lesson about theft too.
"Every day, I looked at it and it made me very happy," Opal Speagle, 7, said. "So, I’m kind of mad that it’s gone, but I’m just glad that we might find it."
The Hickory Police Department is investigating the theft.
Anyone with information about the missing thumbtack, which is made of foam, cardboard, and acrylic, is asked to contact law enforcement.
"Each time that the thumbtack would be shown … that would leave a mark on it so it could tell a story," Hunter Speagle said. " So, if we get it back, it’s just going to add to the importance of the piece and we hope that the story continues and doesn’t end here."
The artist promises that if the thumbtack is returned, they'll make it whole and mend it back together with the piece left behind during the theft.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.