Creation Date

Sculpture creation date: 1967-1970

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Description

Black and white photograph of a cluster of five carved wooden bears, with four dark bears arranged around a taller pale polar bear at the center, standing on a concrete base in a grassy yard at the Langlais Art Preserve in Cushing, Maine. The artwork shown is “Five Bears (#28)” by sculptor Bernard “Blackie” Langlais, created between 1967 and 1970 from wood treated with tar and partial paint and mounted on a concrete foundation at the Langlais Art Preserve, the former property of Bernard and Helen Friend Langlais. The sculpture is a group of five stylized bears: four dark, tar-coated black bears form a tight ring around a central polar bear whose lighter, white washed surface and bared teeth make it rise visually and physically above the others. In this view, one black bear stands facing forward with long arms rising at its sides, while the other three turn sideways or sit, their carved snouts and extended limbs overlapping so that a fan of paws and arms radiates from the central column of bodies. Between them, the tall polar bear’s head and one raised arm project upward, its open mouth and incised fur lines visible against the sky, while a low house, a parked truck, and additional wooden sculptures appear in the distance. 1994. Unidentified, photographer. (See p16252-p16254, p16959-p16975) (See also NA4654.)(NA4800.)

Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) (1990-1995) was a nationwide survey that ran from 1990-1995 documenting America’s outdoor sculpture. Established in 1990, SOS! helped educate local communities about America’s endangered sculptural heritage. The Maine Arts Commission was one of 106 organizations to participate in this survey.

Topic

Folk art, Sculpture

Collection

MF161

Series Number

NA4800

Identifier

p16967

Rights and Access Note

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for non-commercial uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). For more information, contact Special Collections.

Existence and Location of Originals

Located at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress: AFC 2012/047 https://lccn.loc.gov/2013655211.

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Save Outdoor Sculpture

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Rights Statement

In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted