Emergency crowdfunding saves the artist’s legacy.
By Johannes Werner
Original Air Date: August 9, 2024
Host: Dr. Nik’s bikes are not scrap! That was the name of a last-minute crowdfunding campaign and a whirlwind of activities over the last 24 hours to save the artistic legacy of William Pearson AKA Dr. Nik, who passed away in May. Long story short: all of the flamingo, peace, angel and radio bikes you have seen chained to lamp posts and road signs around Sarasota now are safely tucked away behind the Fogartyville Community Center. So are many of the musical instruments and marionettes, as well as the metal characters that starred in some of Dr. Nik’s animated films. And it turned out Luis, the scrap metal man, is actually a nice guy.
Johannes Werner: So let’s begin the story with Luis Galarza. Apparently, the unit with Dr. Nik’s bikes and other art went unpaid, and the owners of the storage facility put its content out for a bid. Luis was the winner.
Luis Galarza: We use scrap metal. We buy storage lockers, and we clean out properties when people foreclose, or unfortunately people pass away.
JW: And where are you based? 
LG: We’re in Bradenton, Florida.
JW: And how did you run across Dr. Nik’s art?
LG: Well, I’ve always drove around Sarasota picking stuff up, and I always see the bikes. And since I buy storage lockers online, I noticed one of the bikes hanging in the locker. And then just had a hunch that that was his locker. So after researching who made the bikes, I figured, what the hell? So I bid on it and I ended up winning. And here we are.
JW: And you ran across it because you’re just in that storage facility, or…?
LG: Online, I look online and I just saw that somebody had a storage and then I noticed the bikes and because I’ve seen them all around town I figured it was something to do with it.
JW: Okay. And so you looked up what, who this was?
LG: I looked up who made the Sarasota art bikes and Dr. Nik, everything about Dr. Nik showed up. So that made me even more want to get it because, you know, I like weird stuff. So, that’s why I chose to pick that one.
JW: Next stop: Jamie Lee Stewart. The long-time friend of Dr. Nik’s from theater days was pumping gas yesterday when she spotted Dr. Nik’s bikes on a trailer behind Lou’s scrap metal truck at the storage facility next door. She ran over and asked him whether he would sell it. Luis offered this: A thousand bucks, and it’s a deal.
Next stop: Jamie Lee Stewart called WSLR, and that prompted marketing manager Kathleen Murray, office manager Diana Bregman and general manager Jesse Coleman to immediately jump into action, creating a crowdfunding campaign.
Next stop: Donna Pickup. When the repeat donor to WSLR saw the campaign, her $975 donation put us over the top in a matter of minutes.
Donna Pickup: I just enjoy coming across his bikes. It just gives me pure happiness. And I ride my bike all over Sarasota, so whenever I pass one of his bikes, I make sure I stop and … I’ve always been, since his passing, I’ve been concerned about what’s going to happen to his bikes and if they’re going to be maintained. And I didn’t really know who to reach out to. So when I saw your post, I was like, “Oh, this is perfect.” And of course I have his book. I don’t remember when it was published, but it’s a pink book and it highlights a bunch of his bikes.
Dr. Nik
JW: Earlier today, Lou the scrap metal man and two helpers arrived with two trucks and trailers at the station, where a half-dozen volunteers helped unload. They included Amy Dawn and her two daughters.
Amy Dawn: I saw the Facebook post that there was an urgent SOS to save Dr. Nik’s art from the scrap yard. And so, I immediately contacted members of WSLR to see how I could help. And, whether that would be transporting the art from the trailer to our location here in Sarasota, or to arrive with the art and help unload it.
JW: Amy was a Day One programmer on WSLR and met Dr. Nik when he joined with his own show. She eventually became a neighbor when Dr. Nik moved into the wood frame house on Myrtle Street that served as the first home of the radio station.
WSLR manager Jesse Coleman will now figure out with Dr. Nik’s family what should happen to the bikes and marionettes. For now, the plan is to hang the marionettes from the ceiling of the Fogartyville Community Center. Let WSLR know if you have any ideas. Donna Pickup:
DP: I don’t have any ideas, but I have great hope for the ideas that will come in, and I would be happy to support anything that’s going to honor the memory and also the message.
JW: Reporting from 525 Kumquat Court, this is Johannes Werner for WSLR News.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.