‘Hometown Heroes’ outside of Lugnut Stadium in downtown Lansing

Roy Saper, owner of Saper Galleries and Custom Framing in East Lansing, keeps a vigilant eye out for damage to or maintenance issues with Lansing-area art installations. In a recent conversation, he told me about an important piece missing from the Richard Hallier sculpture “Hometown Heroes,” which is outside of Lugnut Stadium in downtown Lansing.

A part of the sculpture depicts a ball player and a young boy seeking his autograph. Saper, who was involved in the scultpure’s design, noticed in 1996 that the pen was missing from the player’s hand. A second pen, which had been epoxied in place, also disappeared in 2011, and then a third pen disappeared and has not been replaced.

Saper noted that the patina on the sculpture has changed and the ballplayer may need to be refinished.