Sorry, Goldilocks. This story is about two bears who reside on the grounds of Murch Elementary School.
These sculptures were installed at the tail end of the the school’s 2016-2018 renovation, and puzzled many a Murch parent and neighbor, as the Murch mascot is the mustang. Bears are a Lafayette Elementary thing.
Now we know the answer to the question, “Why bears?” and that the larger bear has a name befitting its blue jeans and suspenders look: Bear Bunyan. An addition to the Murch website explains everything:
In 2018, Bear Bunyan and Honey Bear in Koi Pond were brought to Murch right before the school’s grand re-opening. Members of the team that chose the bears, including Murch staff, loved the bears and voted for them to be included, along with several other pieces.
You can read more on the “Public Art at Murch” page.
Green Eyeshades says
The artist who did the Murch Mustang sculpture, Celia Lueza, has her own website:
https://www.lueza.com/public-sculpture/
Highly recommend readers spend a few minutes enjoying her many stunning fluid and “undulant” sculptures on display all over Florida. This one, called Nova, was installed in Jacksonville in September 2020; she placed it at the top of her website:
https://www.lueza.com/s/cc_images/cache_6570074.JPG?t=1684943442