Seattle Photographer Films Herself Stealing Public Art, Then Claims It Was All a “Trap”

The definition of art often varies from culture to culture and person to person. But one photographer might've viewed it differently, which did not sit well with many Seattleites.

A photographer from Seattle named ClaireMichelleArts posted a video to YouTube on April 20 showing her taking down a piece of street art affixed to a pole and then carrying it home.

The artwork belonged to Henry, a well-known local street artist whose full name is Ryan Henry Ward. Since 2008, he has created over 200 murals and public installations throughout Seattle, brightening the city's walls and streets. His distinctive style, which imagines Sasquatch figures, funny animals, and vibrant backdrops, is an integral part of Seattle's visual identity.

The video went viral. Her brother reportedly posted a link to it on Reddit's r/mildlyinfuriating, where it racked up around 1,200 upvotes and roughly 200 comments, according to The Nerd Stash. The thread was simply titled "Self-Entitled Seattleite steals public art then posts about it." As expected, the internet was not amused. And then Claire claimed that it was all planned.

She posted a follow-up video on YouTube on April 22 after the original was removed due to what she called "doxxing" by viewers. She said, "I posted a video and had my brother post a Reddit thread, and the next thing you know, it had blown up. That was the whole point, to drive controversy."

She further said, "The reality is, art is made for this exact sort of heated debate. It gets people talking, and if you disagree with this opinion, well, congratulations, you were just falling into the trap that I set for you, that art is a controversial topic."

She also denied calling it theft at all, referring to the Henry piece as a "street art drop," essentially work that artists place in public locations for people to find and keep, and claiming she was only "engaging" with what the artist meant. But the internet didn't agree with her.

"I'm more mad she made, edited, and posted this stupid video than the theft itself," one Reddit user wrote. "She didn't want the art, she wanted internet clout so people would think she's so quirky and cool. Plan backfired."

Another commenter drew the line elsewhere entirely: "It's not even about the art itself. It's just the entitlement that you can take it from everyone else and think that's okay. I'm not mad, just disappointed."

Whether Claire's action is valid is up for debate. Artists do occasionally leave their work in public areas with the goal of having it recognized, hence, street art drops are legitimate.

However, Henry's pole installations aren't random drops; rather, they are permanent, intentional additions to Seattle's public cityscape intended for the enjoyment of the entire city rather than just one individual pocketing and filming for views.

Art may be contentious by its very nature. As of right now, the comment sections seem to agree that taking it down a pole and uploading the video is not its intended sentiment.