Glass Mosaic Bear!

photo of the bears ready to be embellished

Hello! This is glass member PoPko here! I wanted to share my excitement about a public art project I was accepted to participate in. I'm hoping that this post (and future updates) inspire a few people to break out and try something new for themselves.

I applied to be an artist in the Easthampton, MA "Bearfest". This is a new venture for the town (nearby), where they will host a bunch of fun loving fiberglass bears, to be embellished by 35 different artists. These 'mama' and 'baby' bears will be placed on sidewalks and public spaces in the town for the summer months. Some of you may have heard of things like this, a popular one is "cows on parade", and some towns host moose, whales and other animals.

above, picking up MY baby bear from 'eastworks', and you can see the proposals sitting onthe floor in the background. a lot of people are painting them, some are adding things like wire and plaster. mine will be a mosaic.

What I had to to was submit an idea, in the form of a drawing, of what I wanted "to do" to my bear. I was chosen with my design using fused glass and glass tiles to be mosaiced all over the bear. The title will be 'hiding bear', and he should end up looking like he is hiding in (glass) bushes. I applied to mosaic two bears, but only got one, so I have to alter my design a little. No problem! Im crafty.

above, the large 'mama' bears waiting for their artists to bring them home

They will give each artist $250 to carry out their work (YAY!) and then have an auction in October, where each artist will get 25% of the selling price. This is one of the most artist-friendly competitions I've been a part of. I cant wait to buy some new glass and start fusing leaf shapes!

above, my dad helping me get some stumps that we found in a strangers yard. we explained the project and she was happy to get rid of the wood! my bear will be sitting on a log.

I will certainly keep you all updated on the progress. This is due at the end of May, so Ive got a little time.

Are YOU interested in trying something like this? I found the 'call for proposals' in the local paper. It wasn't a secret. Things like this are always happening, you just have to keep an eye out for them. The thing is, i didnt know if they would like my work, or choose me. The fact is, that I submitted it in the last five minutes that I could! It wasnt even typed out, and I wasnt sure I even had enough info on the application. Well, aparently it struck them or I got lucky. So go ahead, give it a shot!

Have any of YOU ever entered a competition or done any public art projects? I would love to hear about it, please comment below. Also, this might inspire others, so dont be shy!