Bear Dedication, a Memorial for Matthew Pollard

I missed posting this last Sunday because Don and I went out to pick up the bronze and granite base for the Hux Cancer Center from Art Castings in Loveland, Colorado. The mother bear and cubs was commissioned by Steve and Mary Ann Pollard in remembrance of their son Matthew Pollard who died in a car accident 14 years ago. The dedication was on his birthday May 15th.

Lynnie Meyer from Norton Healthcare spoke about the Pollards and about the process of commissioning the bears.

Steve Pollard (Mary Ann is to his left) spoke of the difficulty of losing a child and what the bear sculpture meant to him as a symbol of the love a parent has for their children.

Their pastor Wayne Willis spoke eloquently of the ever present weight of losing a child.
Then it was my turn to speak. I spoke of Mary Ann's ability to visualize my concept of a bear with cubs when it was a roughly cut block of stone and of creating a model so that she and others could see what the final sculpture would look like. I then described how the cubs being on their mother represent the foundation parents provide for their children, offering stability for them until they are strong enough to venture out on their own. And that, within the safety and guidance of Family, is a secure place for children to learn about themselves and the world around them.

I am greatly honored that the Pollards chose my work as a monument for their son, Matt.
People going out to see the bears in the rain...
I saw this mother pigeon sitting on her nest under the Gene Snyder, not far from where the bears are located.