Not this one.

It's made of wax.

Like a candle.

Complete with wicks.

I thought it was vandalism.

It's usually Abraham Lincoln and his head's off now.

This is how it looked last week, but it wasn't vandalized.

It's the work of Richmond-based artist Sandy Williams IV.

He works in ephemeral mediums like skywriting and wax.

For Sandy, this is really about sparking a conversation with the community.

The sparking part?

That's literal.

This work was meant to be burned in a controlled way.

It's surprising, but if it's art, I mean, it looks kind of cool.

The D.C.

Commission on the Arts and Humanities funded the project.

Garrison Elementary School is on the site of Camp Barker, once a Union Army camp and later a community for formerly enslaved people, many of whom followed the Union Army out of the South.

So what's the connection to Lincoln?

Lincoln actually used to stop quite a bit and visit with the refugees on his way to Lincoln's cottage.

It was those kind of interactions that led to Lincoln developing a more abolitionist position on slavery after earlier ambivalence.

This past weekend, the city sponsored art all-night events all over the district, and you can say this one was lit, slang interpreted literally.

While artists longed for their work to create a buzz, this one drew sirens.

The fire department did show up.

As did police later on.

The work had all the necessary permits, but some young students at the school were troubled by the headless Lincoln, and even neighbors who liked the piece were pragmatic about it.

Artist intention aside, it just was going to be a problem.

The curators made some adjustments.

So this is the work's fate for now.

They're going to cover it up, maybe think about moving it.

And in a fitting twist of history, Lincoln is now a martyr for the arts.

They've canceled plans for any more lighting.

The artist, Sandy Williams, tells me the work has prompted the desired conversations about history, permanence, and our shared historical narratives.

Mission accomplished.

In Northwest, Derek Ward, News 4.