TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A decades-old sculpture the size of a small car vanished without a trace in 2018. There's a growing effort to locate the piece of art that has been missing for several years, called "Noah's Ark," created by artist Charles Clement.
Mid-century modern artist Charles Clement moved to Tucson after World War 2.
“He worked with a number of architects and designers to create public works of art across the City," said Demion Clinco, CEO of the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation, which owns Clement's personal archive and intellectual property.
Clement created the modernist sculpture, "Noah's Ark," in 1966. It was installed at the Catalina Foothills School Administration Building, where it stayed for almost 20 years.
“The Catalina Foothills School District donated the sculpture in 1985 to the City of Tucson, and it was installed at the Reid Park Zoo," said Clinco.
By 2011, it was in storage at the zoo until 2017. Clinco says a community member sent a photo of it to the Preservation Foundation.
“From that photograph, we were able to look at aerial photographs of the zoo and it looks like it was in storage until at least February of 2017, and by 2018, it was moved from that storage location," Clinco said.
Many wonder where the sculpture is now and why there isn't any record of what happened to it. Its base is made of steel and was painted with fiberglass with an inlaid concrete veneer.
“Sculptures that are the size of a small automobile don't generally move frequently and certainly, understanding that the zoo has gone through a lot of transformation, it would make sense that objects would be moved, relocated on the property, or into storage," Clinco said.
It’s not just the Preservation Foundation asking the City of Tucson for its whereabouts; Clement’s estate says it is also concerned. His niece and representative of the Charles Clement Estate, Chris Bondante, states:
"My name is Chris Bondante, niece of artist Charles Clement. I have worked to honor my uncle’s legacy and his commitment to public art by gifting his intellectual property and personal archive to the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation so that his work may continue to be appreciated by the community he loved.
We are deeply alarmed by the disappearance of his 1966 sculpture, Noah’s Ark, which was donated to the City of Tucson and installed at the Reid Park Zoo in 1985 for public enjoyment. After decades on continuous display, the sculpture was quietly removed. To date, there has been no consultation with the artist’s estate, no documentation of deaccession or public notice, and no information provided about the work’s current location. This lack of transparency is profoundly troubling.
The apparent lack of transparency and failure to follow established protocols appears to violate the City of Tucson’s own administrative policies regarding the management of public art. We are alarmed that this significant work by Charles Clement has been potentially lost.
The recent restoration of Clement’s El Presidio Fountain, initiated by the Mayor Romero and Council, reflects a meaningful commitment to preserving Tucson’s cultural heritage. That effort underscores the City’s recognition of Clement’s legacy and makes the unexplained disappearance of Noah’s Ark especially troubling.
We urge the City of Tucson and its relevant departments to fully investigate the sculpture’s disappearance and commit the resources necessary to locate and safeguard this work. Noah’s Ark represents a vital part of Tucson’s cultural and artistic heritage and we remain hopeful it will be found."
Since the sculpture was donated to the City of Tucson, I reached out to the Parks and Recreation office regarding the disappearance. Lane Mandle, chief of staff to City Manager Tim Thomure, stated:
"We appreciate that this issue has been brought to our attention. The City is working with the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona on the records for the sculpture, which we believe was approved for deaccession in 2018. Staff is also working to confirm that the City is no longer in possession of the artwork."
Clinco says the disappearance raises questions about how the City manages its public art because a specific policy must be followed.
“This is not the only sculpture by Charles Clement that has condition issues, or that's not being managed, in our view, well," Clinco said.
Clinco tells me his foundation has also requested documents from the Arts Foundation of Tucson and Southern Arizona.
"We asked for information from the Arts Foundation of Tucson and Southern Arizona, who managed the City's public art collection, and they would have managed any sort of formal relocation or deaccession, which means the removal of the sculpture from the City's permanent art collection. Those records have not been found, and so it really sort of raises a series of questions about whether the City’s public policy around art was followed, what the dispensation of the sculpture was, if it's in storage, which is what we are really hoping. Can it be identified? Can it be found? And then can we find a way to make it publicly available to the community again?" said Clinco.
I reached out to the Arts Foundation of Tucson and Southern Arizona for any information and Wylwyn Reyes, director of the foundation, stated:
“We are concerned about the unknown whereabouts of the artwork by Charles Clement, an artwork that holds lasting cultural and historical importance to Tucson. While its status is currently unclear, we will be working closely with the City of Tucson and the Tucson Preservation Foundation to locate this important work. Stewarding public art is both a cultural and civic responsibility. In recent years, we have strengthened our partnerships with city departments and developed new procedures centered on transparency and public trust. Together, we remain committed to preserving Tucson’s cultural heritage for generations to come.”
The Preservation Foundation asks the community to come forward with any tips that might help track down "Noah's Ark". You can email them at info@preservetucson.org.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
