COUPEVILLE — About $25,000 worth of artwork by nine Whidbey Island artists was stolen in a break-in at a gallery last week.
Someone broke into the Penn Cove Gallery in Coupeville the night of Aug. 2 and made off with about 200 pieces of art, said Denis Hill, one of the 27 artists exhibiting there.
Hill discovered the burglary when he opened the gallery for business the morning of Aug. 3. Police told him the gallery was one of six businesses hit that night, all located within a few blocks of downtown. Other victims were a florist, a design shop, a nursery, a glassware store and a toy store.
The burglaries happened late on Aug. 2 or early Aug. 3, said Coupeville Marshal David Penrod, the town’s top cop. He is investigating and working with other police agencies to figure out whether similar crimes occurred elsewhere on Whidbey Island.
“This is a good time to remind our business owners and community … to always properly secure businesses and residences,” he said in a statement.
The heists stunned Coupeville, but the small town has pulled together to support the victims, said Gary Leake, board president at the artists cooperative.
The crooks cleaned out many of the gallery’s glass displays of jewelry, pottery, carved American Indian pieces, wooden bowls, woven scarves and baskets. Leake makes wooden furniture, and nothing of his was taken. Hill’s photographs also were spared, as burglars took no wall art.
Leake said he believes the criminals were interrupted by a neighbor who heard some noise that night.
“Where they would have quit if they had enough time, I don’t know,” he said.
A jewelry artist had all of her pieces taken. Another was left with just a pair of earrings.
The loss is devastating in more than one way.
“It was a personal attack,” he said. “These were works of love. It’s sort of like someone coming in and stealing your kids.”
Insurance likely will cover the cost of materials but not the many hours of work invested in the pieces, he said.
The most expensive work stolen was a Coast Salish transformation mask valued at $4,500.
To stay positive, some artists said they are taking it as a compliment that someone stole their work, Leake said.
As news of the burglary spread, people in town started coming in to Penn Cove to do their Christmas shopping early. Someone even coined the term “sympathy shopper,” Leake said.
Artists throughout the entire Pacific Northwest are sharing photos of the stolen art in hopes that someone will recognize the pieces if crooks try to sell them.
Police also are distributing photos to pawn shops.
To help recover the losses, the cooperative offered affected artists two months of free rent and no commission on sales.
“To the credit of everybody, we have not lost a single artist,” Leake said.
How you can help
If you have any information about the stolen artwork, call 360-679-9567 anytime and ask to speak with the deputy marshal on duty. See more photos of the stolen pieces here
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