Hypocrite disclaimer: this coming from someone who profits from the shameless anthropomorphizing of cute, furry animals on weekly basis. But I'll be the wet blanket and point out the obvious in that it might not be the best time or place to install a sculpture in Denali National Park of a grizzly bear that is "designed to be kid-friendly; a place to sit & climb, & pose for pictures" ... where someone recently got killed & eaten for doing just that.
Installed outside the Visitor Center, this is a tribute to the memory of Alaskan artist William D. Berry (more here), and Juneau sculptor Skip Wallen was tasked with enlarging the original, much smaller-sized piece into a larger-than-life replica by welding together 31 different castings.
Maybe if it occasionally pretended to mauled someone it might provide visitors to Denali with a more authentic, teachable moment. Wait for the inevitable Official Federal Disclaimer sign to get installed after the first lawsuit: “Please do not attempt this on a real bear.” Because yes, people really are that stupid, and don't need any additional training or encouragement. But this piece will hopefully serve best as an opportunity to instill an awareness of, and healthy respect for, who's really running the place.
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Do not operate hair dryer in bathtub or shower.
ReplyDeleteI mean, yeah, it begs the question as to exactly why a bear would even use a hair-dryer, but okay...
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