Video: Anger as museum art work taken

The alleged theft of a piece of fabric art from the Lakes District Museum on Monday is just the second time in 25 years anything has been taken from the Arrowtown-based museum, director David Clarke says.

Senior Constable Beth Fookes, of Arrowtown, yesterday released CCTV footage of the woman alleged to be responsible for stealing Alison Naylor's one-off, handmade piece, valued at $625, at 4.32pm on Monday.

Mr Clarke told the Queenstown Times staff had not noticed the piece - uninsured by the museum - was missing until yesterday morning.

The fabric art, part of the ''Upstream of the Herd'' exhibition, had been hung using rods and attached to the display room wall. Mr Clarke said the rod remained propped up against the wall.

''I thought someone [from the staff] had taken it [the artwork] off, but no.''

Mr Clarke said the museum's cameras linked directly to the Arrowtown police station and were reviewed immediately. The cameras showed a woman - who was wearing a ''bumbag'' and carrying a large handbag - touching several of the pieces on display ''to see how they're attached'', Mr Clarke said.

It was alleged that the woman, after spotting Mrs Naylor's work, ''stuck her head around to make sure no-one was watching'', lifted the piece from the wall, removed the rod and placed it against the wall and then ''rolls it up quite slowly and puts it in her bag'' before casually leaving the museum through the front doors, he said.

CCTV footage tracked her walking down Buckingham St towards the Jade and Opal Centre.

It was possible she had then boarded a tourist bus.

''It makes me annoyed,'' Mr Clarke said.

''We've been running exhibitions since 1992 and it's the first artwork ever to be stolen ... you just don't expect somebody to steal, a, from a museum and b, steal artwork.

''We've got a dog stealing bread, people stealing signs and trying to smuggle them out of the country and now this.''

While the quilting group normally had a representative at the museum every day for the exhibition, it did not on Monday.

Museum staff at the reception desk were dealing with other customers at the time of the incident, he said.

Mrs Naylor had remained upbeat about the incident, saying, ''At least she had good taste.''

The only other time the museum had been targeted by thieves was about 1990 when an early sea pistol was ''stolen to order''.

It was before CCTV cameras had been installed at the museum and the pistol, which had been in a locked cabinet, was never recovered, Mr Clarke said.

Despite the theft, Mr Clarke said the museum's security system was appropriate.

''We're alarmed at night and we've got good security - that's evident by the fact that only two things have been taken in 25 years.''

Snr Const Fookes said the distinctive artwork was comprised of bright orange and blue fabric.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Queenstown police on (03) 441-1600.