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 [log in to unmask]