Five local artists decorate bears to benefit local non-profits

by Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo

A group of local non-profit organizations have created a public art project for the benefit of the northwestern corner of Connecticut.  The Winsted Health Center, Litchfield County Association for Retarded Citizens (LARC), Northwest Connecticut Arts Council, Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce and the Tri-State Chamber Foundation have banded together to create A Bear Affair.

Bear sculptures made from a fiberglass mix and decorated by over 65 artists will be on display throughout the tri-state area in September and October.  The artists had five different bears to choose from: a dancing bear, a sitting bear, a standing bear, a grizzly bear on all fours and a giant grizzly on all fours, which is five feet high and six and a-half feet long.

After the artists made their selections and came up with a design, local individuals and businesses chose the artist and/or design they wished to sponsor.  The sponsors also decided on the location for the finished bears to be displayed.  After the exhibition period ends in late October, sponsors have the option to re-purchase the bears or allow them to be sold at a special auction on November 10.

Aside from raising funds for local non-profits, A Bear Affair hopes to promote tourism, build a sense of community and enhance the visibility of local artists.  Several Norfolk resident artists volunteered their time for the project: Arden Mason and Leslie Watkins, Karen Rossi, Turi Rostad and John Thew.

Mason and Watkins chose one of the giant grizzlies for their celestial- themed bear, “Ursus,” which is Latin for bear.  Their creation pays homage to the bear constellation of Ursa Major.  Media Bids, an online newspaper and magazine advertising marketplace, is the sole sponsor of Ursus.  This bear will be on display outside the Media Bids office located at 448 Main Street in Winsted.

Karen Rossi, to whom philanthropic work is no stranger, chose the smaller grizzly and painted a scene of Tobey Pond on one side and numerous Norfolk landmarks on the other.  Rossi did a print of various Norfolk buildings a few years ago and used that as a template for her bear. The Rossi  “Norfolk Bear” will be displayed on the lawn of the Church of Christ, Congregational on the Village Green and is sponsored by Linda and Frank Bell, Larry Hannafin, Dan Hincks and Linda and Frank Pizzica.

Turi Rostad turned her sitting bear sculpture into a dapper bear, sporting a colorful tuxedo.  When asked how she chose the design, Rostad reflected on the sole sponsor of the bear, Andy Smith of Boyce Nemec Design in Norfolk.  “I wanted to pay a sort of tribute to Andy,” says Rostad.  “He was involved with the Warner Theater for years and I remember a wonderful performance there of Joseph & the Technicolor Dreamcoat.  It was also an artistic challenge for me, as I only bought three primary colors of paint for the project.  All the colors in the bear’s jacket were mixed from just those three colors.”  Rostad’s bear will be displayed outside Boyce Nemec Design at Station Place.

John Thew’s giant grizzly, “Bare Naked Lady,” is all black with a wooden Lady Godiva-type rider perched on top of the massive bear.  “I’ve been doing figure drawing classes every Tuesday for a long time,” says Thew of his creation, “so I guess I just had nudes on the mind. I also liked the play on words of a bear bareback rider.”  Thew’s bear is sponsored by Molly Ackerly and Michael Sconyers, Veronica Burns and Mary Fanette, Carol Camper and John Hartie, Anita Holmes, and Cecily and Alan Mermann. “Bare Naked Lady” will be displayed in Anita Mathewson’s field along Greenwoods Road West.