It Wasn't Supposed to Be Gum-Based Paint
You're 12 years old. You're on a field trip through a museum. You're a little bored, maybe, and you've got some half-chewed gum... and, well... you leave it behind on a painting. The 1963 abstract by Helen Fankenthaler turns out to be worth $1.5 million. A guard at the Detroit Institute of Arts noticed the gum, rounded up visiting students and quickly got a confession. The gum left a stain, which can be repaired. The boy was suspended.
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RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
Good Morning. I'm Renee Montagne. So, you're twelve years and on a possibly boring field trip through a museum. You've got some half chewed gum, and, well, you leave it behind on a painting. The 1963 abstract by Helen Fankenthaler turns out to be worth a million and a half dollars. A guard at the Detroit Institute of Arts noticed the gum, rounded up the students, and quickly got a confession. The gum left a stain, which can be repaired. The boy was suspended. This is MORNING EDITION.
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