Bears of Sheffield

The Bears of Sheffield (2021) is a public art exhibition that supports Sheffield Children’s Hospital, raising money for a brand new Cancer and Leukaemia Ward. This bear was on display at the iconic Parkhill Flats.

The inspiration for the bear for the theme of the trail came from the Botanical Gardens bear sculpture by artist David Mayne. David adapted the design of his original bear in the Botanical Gardens Bear Pit and created a smooth version for the trail. 60 artists across the city and beyond were given these blank sculptures.

Jo Peel says, “I wanted to make sure I added some personality into the bear because, with the elephant, I simply used it as a canvas for my artwork, but with the bear, it already had so much personality, so I wanted to keep it looking like a bear.

I put a circle on its heart, the crane hook on his eye, and made the arms look more like tattoos to really give it some character rather than using it as a plain canvas.”