Creation Date

Sculpture creation date: 1967-1970

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Description

Black and white photograph of a towering cluster of five carved wooden bears, with four dark bears encircling a taller pale bear at the center, standing on a concrete base in a grassy area at the Langlais Art Preserve in Cushing, Maine. The artwork depicted is “Five Bears (#28)” by sculptor Bernard “Blackie” Langlais, created between 1967 and 1970 from wood coated 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 composition consists of a tightly grouped circle of four stylized black bears sitting or standing upright, their elongated bodies and outstretched arms carved with heavy fur textures and accented with claws, surrounding a central polar bear that rises above them. The polar bear has a white washed surface and an open-mouthed face showing squared teeth. In this view, one smaller black bear occupies the front center, its arms slightly lifted and paws resting on the lower step of the pedestal, while the other three black bears turn in different directions so that snouts, paws, and shoulders overlap, emphasizing the sense of a ring of guardians around the central figure. The group stands on a stepped rectangular concrete pad set in a lawn dotted with small flowers, with a rustic wooden structure and leafless shrubs in the background. 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

p16966

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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Keywords

Save Outdoor Sculpture

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Rights Statement

In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted