Eighteen fiberglass bears painted in bright colors and vibrant designs attract tourists to Cherokee's shops, while drawing attention to the tribe's talented artists. In all, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians commissioned artists to paint 25 bears, each 5 feet tall, 10 feet long and 3 feet wide. All have been or will be placed in Cherokee's central business district and other areas in town.
A bear that honors the veterans of the armed forces is at Cherokee's Veterans Memorial on Tsali Boulevard. Another decorates the entrance of the Cherokee Youth Center.
"Each bear is so colorful, but what's most important is that each one tells a story, inspired by our tribal artists," said George Lambert, director of marketing for Cherokee Travel & Tourism.
3 comments:
Writerfella here --
The whole thing is just a 'cover' of the original Centennial Bison statues made by Native artists and scattered around Oklahoma four years ago, in anticipation of the 2007 Centennial. Bears are good, but give credit where credit is due...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Okay, I'll give credit where credit is due. Both projects are "covers" of projects that predate the Centennial Bison statues. Cows came first, then angels, then (perhaps) the bison.
http://www.publicartinla.com/Community_of_Angels/
2000-2001; 2002. This is a Los Angeles project to decorate and paint several hundred angel sculptures. The sculptures are installed in various public spaces throughout the city. In May 2001 they were auctioned off to benefit Volunteers of America and Catholic Big Brothers. In 2002 10s of additional angels were created and auctioned off. The project is a joint venture of two charities, the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the mayor's Volunteer Bureau. It mimics a public art installation of cows done in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1998, which was followed by the popular "Cows on Parade" in Chicago.
Writerfella here --
Moo!
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
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