I love public art exhibits and when there are almost life sized bears involved you can imagine I am all in. Chris and I spent some time in downtown Hendersonville, North Carolina the weekend that we came house hunting and I was delighted to find that they had bears lining the street. How can you go wrong with decorated bears? After all I have shared all of the Dothan Peanuts here on It’s Just Life over the past year so why not share bears?
The day we were there I did not have anything other than my phone camera and the sun was blazing so my photos are not as great as I would like them to be but you will get the idea of how neat this art installation is.
I had fully intended to go back and stop downtown to take better photographs but guess what? That is not to be because these bears are part of an amazing fundraising effort. These bears are part of an annual auction that has taken place 13 years and this year the auction netted a total of $43,000 that will go to help support both the nonprofits and organizations linked with each bear and to Downtown Hendersonville to help continue this project. Brilliant, don’t you think?
Each year twenty bears are exhibited downtown and each year they are auctioned off during an October weekend. Different people bid on the bears for different reasons. Some want to support the non profit that it represents, some just like the bear and want to have it in their own yard and some purchase and donate them to area businesses for specific reasons. Whatever the reason I think this is a brilliant fundraiser and I am already looking forward to next year. I will have camera in hand and be ready to take better shots and get more details about each bear.
Everywhere I go the idea of creating art displays like this is catching on and I have to admit that I never grow tired of it. From pigs to bears to dolphins to peanuts — I am a fan of art like this that brings art to public places where everyone can enjoy it.
Thanks to the article located here in Blue Ridge Now for tipping me off to the fact that this was a fundraiser and a yearly event.
8 Comments
Leave a commentI seriously think you need to bid on and own one of these so you can put it on your dock! It’s the perfect place for one!
I’m with you on appreciating this type of public art. Bringing art to the people rather than bringing people to the art is a brilliant way to grow interest in the arts. I especially enjoy the Sculpture Walks like those in Mason City, Mankato and Bemidji.
FUN stuff!!
love those bears and i think your pics are great!
Thanks, Mary. I love anything like this as you well know!
Here’s the plan. I must have that polka dot bear. It is a necessity! Please send him to me immediately. I’ll pay for postage. Stealing? Jail. Please. I am certain if you look closely you will see my name on him so it will be more like borrowing back my bear than stealing and I am sure he will barely be missed. The pictures are great, and a welcome, I mean interesting!! reprieve from peanuts…. Not that I don’t like peanuts. I like them bery much! Large package!! Excited.
I will see what I can do but no promises. I do have an image to keep up here and I don’t really want to get on the bad side of the law so early. But that polka dot one is darn adorable, isn’t it? Just you wait–the National Peanut Festival is next weekend and I will be all over that!
I love these bears and what a great idea for a fundraiser. Hard to pick but I think my favourite is polka dot Jane.