The Hidden in Plain Sight project, made by Dunedin School of Art masters student Maggie Covell, was installed in various public spaces throughout the city last week.
Ms Covell said she wanted to help other people who identify as female to express their feelings about their mental health and trauma experiences through social art practice.
On Wednesday night, the billboards installed outside the Otago Museum Reserve were thrown into a pile and stomped on.
She said the vandalism was annoying, but she did not believe the attack was malicious.
"I was a student myself — I know how they behave."
The damage on the signs seemed opportunistic rather than well thought out and only one site was damaged, she said.
She did have to spend some time organising with her group of 10 team members to repair the damage, but was overall "not too fazed".
She was upset the vandalism might have stopped some people from enjoying the project and connecting to it on an emotional level.
The project had otherwise been quite successful, with more than 500 views on her website from people who followed the QR code on the billboards.
