September 11, 2008 Issue
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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or Winner of Two |
AbZOOlutely2 brings bears to the Avenue
Bears will soon inhabit the Avenue. Good thing they’re stationary — and inanimate. Volunteers from 12 Philadelphia-area architecture firms have turned 12 fiberglass bear statues into works of art that will stand along the J.S. Jenks Elementary School wall. The bears will be unveiled to the public at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, at the opening of AbZOOlutely2, the second edition of the 2006 fundraising event. “I’m definitely looking forward to seeing all of those bears lined up together,” said Jean McCoubrey of Hill-based Stanley Runyan & Associates. “I think there will be some where you can instantly tell what it is all about from a distance. For others, you’ll have to get up close.” McCoubrey wanted to keep her bear a surprise, but she admitted that she and her colleagues Aga Vinson and Matt Yoder wanted a simple design. Along with an aesthetic boost for the Avenue, McCoubrey said the project provided a chance for her team to be creative in a hands-on way, which is rarely a possibility when designing buildings with computer software. “We’ve lost a lot of that direct connection to the materials,” she said. McCoubrey did not participate in last year’s project, but she was so impressed with it that she had to come on board this time. She said her husband, Dan, of Venturi Scott Brown, felt the same way. Philadelphia Print Shop owner Chris Lane hopes ZOO2 will bring a business boom to the Avenue. He said that positioning the bears at Germantown and Southampton avenues is a deliberate choice and will open a gateway between the top and bottom of the Hill. But it will also be a hub for the community, he said — a place for people to gather and chat. The bears will preside over the Avenue until November, when each bear will be sold at auction. Twenty percent of the proceeds will benefit the Chestnut Hill Adult Activities Center. The rest of the money will go to the Chestnut Hill District and will fund tree lighting along the Avenue as the weather chills. For more information, call 215-247-6696. Contact staff writer Joel Hoffmann at 215-24-8819 or joel@chestnuthilllocal.com.
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