Crosswalk youths paint benefit bear

The life-size, fiberglass Kodiak spent a month at a downtown drop-in center, sitting on a tarp-covered table, absorbing the thoughts and emotions of dozens of homeless and at-risk youth.

When it emerged from hibernation Thursday — hoisted through a window at Spokane’s Crosswalk — the bear was steeped in brilliant color, a canvas of images that reflected the lives of the young artists.

This Kodiak, which will be showcased in front of the STA Plaza next week, is among the 40 pieces that are part of a community art project called “Bear Necessities.” The project is also a fund-raiser that will hopefully generate more than $100,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Spokane, a nonprofit agency that provides temporary lodging for families who come here seeking medical care for their children.

While nearly all the bears have been painted by professional artists from throughout the Inland Northwest, this one from Crosswalk has been a joint project involving 50 teens and young people who attend classes at Crosswalk, a place that provides shelter, food and education for street kids and other youth in need.

“The bear has become part of us,” said Ken Jernberg, who teaches the kids. “We’ve become very attached to it.”

Mike Forness, executive director of Ronald McDonald House of Spokane, asked the kids at Crosswalk, 525 W. Second Ave., to get involved because he considers them part of the fabric of downtown.

“It’s rare that the street kids get recognized as a legitimate stakeholder of downtown,” said Forness. “I’m very grateful that they took this opportunity to show leadership and creativity.”

When the undecorated bear first arrived in late May, Jernberg and the other teachers incorporated the giant sculpture into many of their lessons. They discussed the significance of the bear in Native American and other cultures. They learned about its anatomy. They spoke about what the bear could symbolize in their own lives.

When it was time to paint the bear, the kids came up with the idea of designing a series of puzzle pieces, with each piece representing something significant to every artist involved.

Jessica Hammel, 20, created images of hearts and flowers in pastel colors. She dedicated the artwork to her 16-month-old daughter, Isabella, who spends the day with Hammel’s older sister while she works toward her high school diploma at Crosswalk. “I love my baby — she’s my life,” said Hammel, who hopes to go to college and become an attorney someday.

Fernando Garcia also drew flowers — orange and yellow ones with a black-and-white center — on a backdrop of purple. The 20-year-old first came to Crosswalk in February, when he finished serving his sentence for first-degree burglary. He’s been in and out of jail since he was 12, he said. This is the first time he’s ever attended school.

Misty Smith, 14, painted three different pieces: one has a picture of a brain, another has a flower with a smiley face and the word “love,” and one puzzle piece has no images at all, just the color blue. She cried when she painted that last one, she said. It was dedicated to a friend who recently died of a drug overdose.

“It was a good way to express our feelings,” said Smith, describing her experience with the bear.

To complement the different puzzle pieces, the bear designed by Crosswalk kids also holds a puzzle piece that contains pieces of colored glass and a broken mirror. When people look into that piece, they catch a reflection of themselves, said Sam Magnuson, another teacher at Crosswalk.

In addition to getting the kids involved, Forness hopes that youth from Crosswalk will become “bearkeepers” — not only watching over their own bear but also protecting the 39 others from vandalism.

A couple of bears have suffered minor damage in recent weeks, but Forness believes most of them were accidents. One of the bears in front of River Park Square lost a fish during Bloomsday, he said. A brass flower also was broken off another bear during the Lilac Parade. Most of the casualties involve attachments such as a paint brush taken from “Bear ala Monet” on Riverside Avenue, a hat yanked from “Cubs Scouting,” also on Riverside and a bird from “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” on the southwest corner of Main Avenue and Wall Street.

Bear Necessities was intended to bring diverse sectors of the community together while instilling civic pride, Forness said.

“It’s been a cool way for our kids to connect,” Magnuson said.