URSA RAVUS
-AKA-
TELLURIDE’s PENNY BEAR
The grizzly bear returns to Colorado
Commissioned by Judy and Steven Gluckstern as the first sanctioned piece of public art for the town of Telluride, Colorado. Situated in a stunningly beautiful alpine valley, Telluride is home to two major film festivals and is one of the most beloved ski resorts in the United States.
Ursa Ravus, also called by those in Telluride: Penny Bear is 15 feet tall. Her fur is made of 187,000 embedded pennies in concrete over a body or carved styrofoam and a frame of steel tubing. Ravus was completed after a four month period with our assistants Jane Poynter and Dottie Lester. Tanner Reed, a welder from Ferguson Welding Service blacksmith formed the nose and claws for the bear. Eyes are glass blown by Bee Kingdom Glass of Calgary, Canada.
Ursa Ravus was an Independence Day gift from the Glucksterns to the town of Telluride, installed July 2019.
