Pizarro: 50 fiberglass bears in downtown Los Altos?
Colorful art animals will be auctioned by the Los Altos Rotary Club in October
Call them “Ursa Major Cool.”
That pretty much describes more than 50 fiberglass bears painted by Bay Area artists that have been getting a lot of attention in downtown Los Altos lately.
People lounging in the Veterans Plaza where Main and State streets meet are sharing sidewalk space with the figure of a lumbering bear wearing sunglasses, perfect for the California sun. Diners outside the Rustic House Oyster Bar & Grill share space with a bear standing on its hind legs, covered with painted poppies by San Francisco artist Gary Bukovnik. Elsewhere, there’s a Cal Bear, of course, just steps away from a bear named Leland dressed up as a member of the Stanford band. A San Francisco Giants bear holds court on one corner, and Smokey Bear is standing guard down the street. Another bear — created by Los Altos High students Alyssa Manche and Naomi Ichiriu — pays tribute to the region’s original Ohlone people, wearing a tule reed skirt with colorful ribbons and beads, along with a cape and necklaces.
Then there’s “Crazy Rich Bears” at Third and Main, an 8-foot-long walking bear that depicts images of good fortune and Asian culture. Painted by Los Altos native Jordan Fong, it’s sponsored by Lawrence Chu and his wife, Ruth Chu, and takes its name from “Crazy Rich Asians,” the hit film directed by their son, Jon M. Chu.
So where did all the bears
come from? They’re part of a fundraising art project by the Los Altos Rotary Club and will be on display until Oct. 9, when a final auction will occur for 41 of them at the soonto-open State Street Market. (The rest were sold in advance to provide seed money to pay for the 50plus bear forms.) The proceeds will benefit both the artists and local nonprofits through the club’s grants. You can see a map and other information at losaltosbears.com.
Some of the bears will be migrating to the 46th annual Fine Art in the Park, the outdoor art show featuring the work of dozens of artists in Los Altos’ Lincoln Park SaturdaySunday.
And though the bears might seem like a perfect fit for California, art consultant Carol Dabbs — who coordinated the project for the Los Altos Rotary Club — says there’s a another meaning with the bears on display as people are returning to outdoor activities after the COVID-19 lockdowns.
“The bears are coming out of hibernation,” she said, “just like we have.”
MONTALVO ART » A public art project called “Dear America,” led by Bay Area artist Christy Chan, has been beaming artwork onto buildings around the region and will culminate with an exhibition tonight at Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga.
Chan says the project is in response to the growing violence against Asian Americans.
“In a time when the right to belong of Asian Americans is being questioned, taking up space matters,” she said in a news release. “In sharp contrast to the false notion that Asian Americans are a people whose belonging in America must be granted by nonAsian Americans, this project is about Asian Americans unapologetically taking up space, celebrating each other’s presence and not asking permission to do so.”
To that end, images and messages of resilience in English and eight Asian languages, ranging from four to 15 stories tall, have been projected on buildings in downtown San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland without anyone asking in advance.
Tonight’s event at Montalvo — done with permission — will project Chineselanguage art at the historic villa, which was the former home of onetime California Sen. James Duval Phelan, who was active in restricting Japanese and Chinese immigration to the United States.
Montalvo Executive Director Angela McConnell says having the event on the grounds is a significant opportunity to create transparency about its founding benefactor’s past.
The 7:30 p.m. exhibition is free to attend, but you need to RSVP at montalvoarts.org/community.html.
FILL THOSE BACKPACKS »
Sacred Heart Community Service in San Jose started its three-day Pack-A-Back distribution for 3,800 students from low-income families, but the nonprofit agency was about $20,000 short of its campaign goal to purchase school supplies for the backpacks. You can find out more and donate at sacredheartcs. org/pab.