They hang out on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature and were enjoying the late evening sun when I stumbled upon them.
All of them were missing their name plates.
But, although faded, and a bit dirty, you could still get an idea of their design
At one time, they were part of a fundraising display for CancerCare.
62 of these 7 foot, 8,000 pound concrete bears were each sponsored by a corporation who was matched with an artist. They were then on display here and along the tree lined median of Broadway, thus the name Bears on Broadway (link where you can see pictures and names of all the bears)
The bears looked a little sad, I thought, in spite of their artistic, colourful coats.
This one I could guess was called Loony Bear
and these two are known as Nanookshuk
combining two Inuit words - Nanook for polar bear and Inukshuk, a directional guide for a safe journey made of stacking stones.
The other bears have made a journey to various parks and gardens around Winnipeg.
I'm sharing this short journey with Jo for Monday Walks
A new coat of paint will bring the bear back to new life. What a heavy load for the 2 bears to bear in the last photo!
ReplyDeleteyes, that would be a heavy load (also my first thought on seeing them!)
DeleteI suppose it would be a lot of work (and expense) to repaint them.
And not a snowflake in sight! If the weatherman's right, I may be able to help tomorrow :) :) Many thanks, Violet. They are very cute.
ReplyDeleteno snow - even Winnipeg is enjoying warm weather this season!
DeleteWhat a great collection, the last is special. But do they get head aches?
ReplyDeletenah, polar bears are STRONG!
DeleteThey are lovely works of art! :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know anything about them, so this was indeed a surprise!
DeleteI'm sorry I missed them in 2005.
I spend a lot of time in coastal British Columbia and have seen similar sculptures (usually orca whales)but none can compare to the "Loony Bear".
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Stephanie @ SV CAMBRIA