I'm all for deflecting negative behavior rather than attempting to force
people away from things that they want (yeah, that little two-year old
in all of us wants what we want, and when somebody says NO we want it
even more).

Placing children on top of interesting items for pictures seems to be a
powerful attractant.  While knowing that their actions, however benign,
are damaging the artwork will deter maybe half of the actions.  How
about telling people of the damage, acknowledging that everyone WANTS to
do it, and offering an alternative.  If a cast of the sculpture was
available (and could be replaced when destroyed) could be placed very
close that might do it.  Or maybe a big photo mural of the sculptures
with a platform for the children.  By designating this as a photo spot
you also give your attentive visitors the opportunity to police others,
i.e. they can suggest to folks who continue to ignore the sign an
alternate activity, emphasizing the communal ownership of the piece.

This worked for us with some signs on fish tanks indicating the damage
that tapping on the glass could do to the fish and offering alternative
behaviors to watch for rather than attempting to make the fish move.

Linda Wilson
Visitor Studies & Evaluation'
Shedd Aquarium, Chicago IL 60605
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