There’s a feud brewing in Somerville between the anonymous artist behind a pop-up lawn ornament installation and a resident who is apparently unamused by the colorful display.
For the second time in as many days, someone unhappy with the sight of dozens of the wooden baubles placed on a cobblestone traffic island, near Union Square, tore the objects from the ground and left them in disarray.
The fight began last week, when a resident filed a complaint with the city, asking for the lawn decorations to be removed.
Department of Public Works crews went to the traffic island to get rid of the installation, but instead put up two signs asking that the owner come collect their artwork.
Word of the ornaments’ pending removal reached Mayor Joseph Curtatone’s office Friday. The mayor swiftly stepped in to offer the wooden figures a stay of execution, citing the importance of embracing impromptu artwork.
During a playful press conference at the traffic island, Curtatone pulled down the signs posted by the DPW and said the ornaments could stay indefinitely.
By Sunday, however, the birds, bulldogs, ducks, and rabbits were plucked from their places underneath the four trees that mark the small plot of land separating Somerville Avenue and Bow Street.
After being alerted to the vandalism, the artist who had placed the object there — who asked to remain anonymous to add to the whimsy — reassembled the pop-up art project, and put back the wood-cut trinkets.
“In an era of hyper-partisan politics, it’s nice to see something playful and appealing to all ages and walks of life,’’ the artist told the Globe Sunday. “The individuals who removed the artwork are clearly out of sync with the Somerville zeitgeist.’’
But almost as quickly as they went up, the figures came down again.
By early Monday morning, the colorful collection of cartoon figures were stacked in several piles, drenched from the Memorial Day rain.
Denise Taylor, a spokeswoman from the mayor’s office, said she wasn’t surprised by the vandalism. But she was glad those responsible didn’t destroy the artwork.
“Whether the night bandit pulling the ornaments out is a jokester or just doesn’t share the artist’s taste, it’s still notable that it’s a polite and careful bandit,’’ she said in a statement. “They pulled the ornaments out, but didn’t appear to harm them.’’
A friend of the artist who helped install the work was less understanding.
“Woody [Woodpecker] and the fisher-girls [figures of girls fishing] won’t take this lying down,’’ the artist and friend said in an e-mail Monday. “This means war!’’
Steve Annear can be reached at steve.annear@globe.com.
