GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — UPDATE 9/19/2021 at 3 p.m.: According to Kenn Vidro, the missing painting was found with some minor damage. It will be placed back up in the exhibit Monday, September 20.
Original Story:
Driving into his ArtPrize exhibit Saturday morning, Kenn Vidro noticed something was missing. He's presenting Pop goes Grand Rapids! this year, a five-painting set of full window fan art of beloved characters.
"I saw it from my car," Vidro said. "I thought maybe it’s inside, or maybe it fell off."
The painting featuring all aliens, like baby Yoda and the green aliens from "Toy Story," was taken overnight. Vidro has filed a police report, but he's in remarkably positive spirits.
"I'm thinking aliens abducted it," he says to people passing by. "Maybe they needed it for E.T.'s bedroom."
The jokes and positive outlook are Vidro's bread and butter. He says that optimism was instilled in him at a young age by his parents, and he's kept at it since then.
“There’s no other way to live your life," Vidro says. "I mean you can be negative, negative things happen to everyone, but you just have to try to grab it and move ahead.”
The retired art teacher is focusing on other things he deems more important than the theft. He's reuniting with former students, sharing in new passions and living a childhood dream of being an artist who "can wake up and just make art." He says his perspective keeps him looking up.
"I guess there’s more important things in life. I loved it and it took a long time, but I have a picture and I can redo it – you can always redo stuff."
He didn't seem to have any ill will for whoever took his painting. Even in his police report, when asked for a motive, Vidro put "maybe to make them happy" saying if that were the case, to let them have it.
"Hopefully it’s found a good home."
RELATED VIDEO: ArtPrize 2021: How to get around to the best venues
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