Actually the whole mentality that this was just a work of art is the problem.
When you do design for applications there are functional and conceptual components to the design. If people are taking your work and buggering up your intent, that's a problem, just the same way it is when someone takes code and alters its behavior without consideration for the code's intent.
The experience the designer had, and this conversation just belies the remaining gulf between the two groups.
I don't disagree, and I don't see why you think I'd consider it a good idea to muck about with things without understanding the intent – but the perception of the intent (and its fitness for purpose) can vary. A work of art, in the sense I was using it, could be “intent realized”. A piece in its final form.
I won't speak to this particular anecdote; I've found making judgements on intents based on a vague second-hand retelling of a one-sided account isn't useful. It sounds like communication was a total failure, probably on both sides.
When you do design for applications there are functional and conceptual components to the design. If people are taking your work and buggering up your intent, that's a problem, just the same way it is when someone takes code and alters its behavior without consideration for the code's intent.
The experience the designer had, and this conversation just belies the remaining gulf between the two groups.