Jamaica Pond Bench (2006), Matthew Hincman.

The unusual sculpture, far more subtle than the brightly painted cows downtown, appeared a few months ago along the path around Jamaica Pond Park.

It's a bench. Well, sort of. It's not just any bench. It's oddly shaped and nearly impossible to sit in comfortably because it's actually more like two bench backs married at the seat. Together they form the shape of a 'U.' The thing stops people in their tracks.

Passersby laugh, wondering what it is and why someone would put it there. Just a few miles away, sculptor Matthew Hincman has the answer.

Hincman used hand tools to craft his bench. He calls it a "bench object" because, while it's an aberration, he says it still relates to the many classic park benches that line Jamaica Pond.

When he got the idea for the site-specific piece, Hincman just wanted to focus on seeing his vision come to life rather than worrying about getting permission, he said.

"I decided I would just install it," Hincman said.

And so he did. At 5:30 a.m. on a foggy May morning, Hincman's bench object arrived at the pond with a truck, a dolly, and some help from his friends. It stayed there for about a week before it vanished, Hincman said.

"I was actually very worried," Hincman said. "Was it stolen? Or did the city take it? And if they did take it, are they mad at me? And what's going to happen?"

Hincman made a few calls hoping to find his piece, and eventually got a voicemail from Bernie Lynch, the Director of Maintenance for Boston City Parks.

The artist made a few calls hoping to find his piece, and says he eventually got a voicemail from Bernie Lynch, the Director of Maintenance for Boston City Parks.

When Hincman called the director back, the artist says he fielded a barrage of questions. First Lynch wanted to know if the bench was guerrilla art. He also wondered how the object was made, and questioned Hincman's intentions. Then Lynch complimented the craftsmanship, and asked if Hincman wanted the piece to be displayed.

Hincman replied, "I guess so,' and the Parks Commissioner said he had already talked to the Arts Commission. In the end Hincman says, "They were very, very, very, very supportive of the piece.'

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So now the the bench object is back at Jamaica Pond, with a small plaque identifying it as a piece of art.

Hincman admits to being surprised by the outcome because he had circumvented a system that he describes as murky and notoriously complex.

But Sarah Hutt, the Director of the Boston Arts Commission, says, "Evading the system isn't what makes a successful piece of art."

Hutt doesn't condone guerrilla installations, but says Hincman's bench is an exception because it's well-conceived, well-made, and, perhaps most importantly, safe.

Hutt also wishes more pieces like his came her way. Between 25 and 30 artists submit written proposals for temporary works each summer, according to Hutt. "They meet with me and we go over logistics of how that's going to happen," she said.

The approval process for temporary public art is straightforward and moves more quickly than the process for approving permanent pieces, according to Hutt. But others say it isn't efficient enough.

Ricardo Barreto believes Boston should more actively solicit and quickly approve small scale works like Hincman's bench. Barreto heads the Urban Arts Institute, a non-profit that facilitates public art projects for corporate clients, communities and the city. He says he understands why sculptor Matthew Hincman decided to avoid City Hall.

"The reputation is that you go into City Hall and the initial gut reaction is 'no, you can't do that." Barretto adds, "It is not fun to go into City Hall and it is not easy to go into City Hall. So of course artists don't want to do it."

But some artists say things are changing in Boston . Matt Nash publishes the online arts journal "Big, Red and Shiny" and says he has observed a number of interesting projects make their way through City Hall over the past few years.

Back at Jamaica Pond he points to the bench object as a symbol and explains, " For me what was amazing about it was that it got to City Hall or it got to the Park Service and they were the ones who decided to take it from the realm of guerilla art to the realm of public art. And, in a lot of ways, I think that's ultimately that's an indication of the quality of the piece. It doesn't scream 'I'm art!' It says, 'I belong along the side of the Jamaica Pond. I'm a little different than everybody else, maybe, but I fit in.' And I think that has value. And thankfully City Hall recognized that it had value."

The city has even encouraged Matthew Hincman to apply for permanent status for his bench, but the artist says he isn't so sure.

"It wasn't designed to be here permanently, so I think I'll be happy if it goes away," Hincman said.

It seems the agenda of a guerrilla artist suits Hincman just fine. So keep your eyes peeled, because you never know when--or where-- Matthew Hincman's next sculpture might appear.

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