The Venus of Bayport is a local Bayport Landmark on McConnell Avenue…. Or WAS.
If you haven’t seen it, … well… it’s too late. It was vandalized recently and is no more. The 7 foot tall sculpture “Venus of Willendorf” was created by Bayport alumna Irene Lap Banse of plaster, styrofoam, steel rods and an outer layer of plaster covered in figerglass resin with a concrete base. It was Irene’s senior project as a student of the Hartford Art School in Connecticut, and has resided on McConnell Avenue since 1975.
The sculpture became a local legend and landmark for many years until vandals -in the early morning hours of Sunday April 10th- tied it's legs with nylon roping and attached it to the rear of a vehicle, tore the entire sculpture from it's home in her mother's garden - killing rose bushes and Easter plants, disloging the rock garden and dragging it through the streets leaving a wake of crumbled mess along the railroad tracks in Bayport! It was found by Irene and a police officer in many pieces (along with Irene’s heart). The head was last seen on someone's lawn on Oakwood Avenue but the person who saw it did not know what they were seeing at the time. It was gone when they went back to get it the next day. The base was found in the swamp further down the tracks from Lotus Lake. SCPD and the MTA are investigating.
If anyone has any knowledge of the crime they are requested to contact Suffolk County Police crime control unit at 854-8530 or Officer Marchan 897-1261
The complaint # is 11-165459