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Indybay Feature

City Threatens to Remove Beloved BEAR SPIRIT Sculpture Which Has Stood 27 Years.

by Subcommondante Films
After a flurry of claims that residents don't like to see the nudity and following several vandal attacks to the penis, the city
says they plan on removing this long beloved sculpture that celebrates a native american bear dance ritual. But after interviewing a city
official, it looks more complicated than that.
bear_spirit__help_save4.jpg
The Santa Cruz Arts Commission is planning on removing this dearly loved local treasure. Help us save it.
27 years standing guard, let's now protect him.

I made a video about the artist and the sculpture, you can view it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voBxUVk1bB0

There is also a facebook page fo Save Bear Spirit!! Please "like" the page so we can show city officials that there is support for this
long beloved sculpture. https://www.facebook.com/SaveBearSpiritSculpture?fref=ts
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by G
Coming to a bigot near you?
by John E. Colby
I remember what Santa Cruz was like in the early 1980s when I came here as a UCSC student. I fondly remember the Santa Cruz Garden Mall. UCSC and Santa Cruz are quickly losing all vestiges of what made them special, unique.
by You Get the Picture
The real issue is not whether this is provocative art piece. The issue is does the public care enough to fight for a cultural representation that is NOT depicting a conquering man on a horse killing the native population, the native ecosystem, and its top predator? Or, if the wider public does not care, will individuals who might have the funds necessary to complete the work by actually casting it in metal, choose to care about native rituals, bears, or anything other than their own p....ocket?
by Local
The issue does have something to do with whether or not this art piece is provocative.

It should be local Ohlone leaders and people who decide what goes in its spot when they remove it, and if they for whatever reason don't want it there, I would side with them.

They might not want the local indigenous population represented by this piece at the area's most prominent natural history museum.
by Anonymous
We are pleased to see you've found a project you can put your heart into.
Kudos to Brent for bringing public attention to this issue. Brent sincerely cares about our community. His videos are educational.

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_22650738/santa-cruz-plans-remove-seabrights-bear-spirit-sculpture
by Brent Bare
brent_w_bear_spirit.jpg
Here is some local news about the campaign to bring news of the threat of removal and the hope of repair of Bear Spirit Sculpture. ... It's Working!!!
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