Aquebogue PolyBear Project Revisited

(January, 2008, Riverhead, NY) Aquebogue's courtyard boasts a new amazing full-scale sculpture project from the art T.E.A.M. ("Together Everyone Achieves More") at the Aquebogue Elementary School.

"The project has received national recognition," notes Aquebogue Principal Phil Kent. "Similarly to last year's Bottlebug project (a huge caterpillar made out of large recycled detergent bottles), this project will be featured on the coveted cover of the children's magazine, Scholastic News. The publisher has contacted us and with our permission asked to display pictures of the Polybear project in their April/Earth Day issue."

All 435 students at the Aquebogue School collaborated with Maureen Ahern, their art teacher, Marta Baumiller, a professional sculptor and milliner, and Cliff Baldwin (Left), a professional artist, to make four large polyethylene polar bears from thousands of recycled plastic shopping bags collected at the school.

"With this outdoor sculpture project we hope to bring attention to climate change and the plight of Polar Bears and other creatures living in the arctic region," explains Mrs. Ahern. "By recycling our bags we can also learn about all the plastic we create on earth and how we can reuse it. In addition to the outdoor sculptures placed in and around the school,"
she continues, "we made polar bears out of clay, polar bear drawings and created our own reusable shopping bag."

The PolyBears will be on view at the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton in February and possibly at the district's Art in Action show in the High School in May.

Please see attached website for additional information: www.polybear.org.

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Related Links:Bottle Bug and Every Day is Earth Day at Aquebogue