URSA MATER

-AKA-

MOTHER BEAR

 A Mother's Love

A journey from Desert, to City, to Lake

Ursa Mater, affectionately known to citizens of 2017 Black Rock City (Burning Man) as Mother Bear was our second penny bear. The endearing part of this installation are two cubs nestled into their mother’s side. The cubs are at eye level which instantly draws visitors to the installation.

Of our works, Mother Bear has the highest count of inserted coins creating the effect of a fur coat. She has over 200,000 pennies inserted in concrete. The bear was carved from foam and sits on steel plate base. This was a four month project conducted with our 12 person, volunteer team. 

Ursa Mater was made possible through an honorarium by Burning Man Arts plus hundreds of dollars in pennies were donated to the project by friends in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia.  

After Burning Man, Mother Bear was displayed at Burning Man's Autumnal fundraiser in Alameda, CA. Four months later, Mother Bear was displayed in downtown San Jose, CA thanks to a joint effort from the San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs and Burning Man Project. 

Moving from the concrete city, Mother Bear went to the mountains and was displayed overlooking Lake Tahoe in Tahoe City, CA, all thanks to the efforts of Tahoe Public Art and private donation. The new home of Tahoe City, CA immediately took a shine to Mother Bear and her cubs, wanting to keep her permanently. The successful community funding drive was made possible by Placer County and local business leaders in June 2019.

Ursa Mater is on permanent display in town center at Heritage Plaza. Many town’s people tell us Mother Bear is a ‘great fit’ for the community.

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