November 20, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Bears go quickly at community auction
by Jennifer Katz

Auctioneer and special guest, Chris Jussel

It may be a bear market, but at Chestnut Hill College on Saturday night, neighborhood enthusiasts turned out to produce bull results for AbZOOlutely2. The second public art program the Hill has sponsored raised just over $17,000 for the Chestnut Hill Business Improvement District and the Chestnut Hill Adult Activities Center.

The dozen fiberglass bear sculptures were auctioned off in style at another festive gala. Held in St. Joseph’s Hall at the college, under the freshly restored rotunda, the bears stood elbow to shoulder with many of their sponsors and artists as the guests mingled. With flowing chocolate fountains, college students-turned-waiters walked around with trays of Rice Krispie treats — the night belonged to the bears.

NBC 10’s Dawn Timoney kicked off the auction. In a sleek back dress, Timoney revealed she is moving to Chestnut Hill in December from her current home in West Mt. Airy. Before the bidding began, event co-chairs Jane Piotrowski and Chris Lane thanked their supporters and handed out a few awards.

To the surprise of few, “Bristle Bear,” won both Best in Show and the People’s Choice award. Designed by Metcalfe Architecture and Design, the bright red bear features 4,000 clear plastic drinking straws. When the band, Andy and the “Bear” Necessities (also known as Andy Maher) stopped playing favorites like Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and Chuck Berry’s “No Particular Place to Go,” the auction got underway with Freeman’s  auctioneer Chris Jussel.

Bear after bear, bidders took them off the market. Starting with the first bid, the bears fetched anywhere from $750 to $3,000. The highest bid, in fact, was $3,000 and not just one but two bears went for that amount. The average price was about $1,400.

“We are pretty pleased,” said Lane of the auction results. “Given that the economy is not in our favor, we were somewhat worried. The bears are a little frivolous, yet we still did well.”

AbZOOlutely2 was far more modest an endeavor than the first outing. AbZOOlutely raised $78,000 and featured approximately 50 animal sculptures. Lane said the two events raised just about the same amount for each animal, underlining the popularity of the animals.

“One of the reasons we do this is to bring something fun to the Hill,” he said. “People really loved the animals and it brings them to the Hill.”

Another reason to do it, Piotrowski said, is in the hopes that the animals will show back up on the Hill as permanent reminders and gathering spots.

Indeed it was the popularity of the first bear bench and a desire to bring one to the Hill permanently that set the theme for this year’s event.

“We did bears because everyone wanted the bench,” Lane said.

When the first bench was purchased after the auction and taken off the corner of Germantown and Southampton avenues, Lane said the community missed it so much that the AbZOOlutely2 committee decided that they wanted to have another bench made and this time it would be a gift to the community. This year’s bench was paid for by the BID and Chestnut Hill Hospital and will stay at the corner.

“Its nice because we are leaving a legacy,” Lane said of the event.

The bear bench, however, will not be the only bear to come back to the Avenue. Chestnut Hill Hotel owner Ron Pete bought “Gus,” a.k.a. “Gone Polar with Gus,” from creator EwingCole, with a depiction of the ocean. The bear will return to its pre-auction post in front of the hotel. He will be joined by “TOPO: Bear in Landscape,” who was bought by Chestnut Hill Grill owner Greg Welsh. According to Lane, Topo will be kept on the balcony at the Grill.

The immediate community of Chestnut Hill will benefit from the bears, both in money raised and enjoyment. The BID is planning to use the money for a signage program that’s been in production for several years, and 20 percent of the profits will be donated to the senior center.

But the larger community may also have the chance to enjoy the bears as well. One of the bears’ will likely end up at St. Christopher’s Children’s Hospital. “Kuruk,” artist Joanne Dhody’s creation, which was bought by Marilyn Monaco, is hoping to be donated to the hospital.

As for the award winning Bristol Bear, well he needs a home. Owners Jane and Steve Piotrowski said they are open to suggestions as to where to put the bear, a.k.a Strawbeary Bear. One note, however, he needs to be keep indoors.