Attend The Heard Museum's 'Zen Bear' Conservation Project This Week

Phoenix, Ariz. -- On Thursday, Jan. 12, see how a major sculpture is conserved for future generations to enjoy at the Heard Museum.

The work, Zen Bear, a sculpture created from weatherized steel by Chiricahua Apache Bob Haozous (b. 1943), will be raised with a hoist to perform essential work to its mounting pedestal.

Then, noted conservator Ron Harvey will perform conservation work on the nearly 4-foot-high by almost 6-foot-wide sculpture (the exact dimensions are 47 inches by 70 inches by 3 inches). The work on this massive piece, along with other important sculptures by acclaimed Native artists, was funded by a grant by Bank of America.

The Heard works are in great company. BofA's 2015 Art Conservation Project supports the restoration of a diverse range of works including the marble figure of the Buddha Amit?bha at the British Museum in London; an oil on canvas, The Mellow Pad, by American artist Stuart Davis (1982-1964) at the Brooklyn Museum in New York; Édouard Manet's Women in Evening Dress (Femme en robe de scarlet) at New York's Guggenheim Museum; four paintings in original frames at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Conn., including two by Stowe; and Vincent van Gogh's Enclosed Field with Ploughman at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Additional projects will take place at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar; OCA Museum in São Paulo, Brazil; and the University Art Museum, Tokyo University of Arts, among others.

IF YOU GO:

WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 12, 2016, 10 a.m., project to raise the sculpture begins, followed by conservation; the complete project is anticipated to take about three to four days

WHERE: Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, Ariz.

COST: $18 general admission, $13.50 seniors (65+), $7.50 children 6-17 and students age 18+ with I.D., FREE for children 5 and younger, American Indians and museum members.

INFO: For more information, call 602.252.8840 or visit heard.org.

Since 1929, the Heard Museum, a private non-profit organization, has enchanted visitors from around the world with the art, culture and history of American Indians, with an emphasis on tribes of the Southwest. With more than 40,000 fine artworks and cultural artifacts in its permanent collection, 12 long-term and changing exhibit galleries, an education center, an award-winning Shop, the Books & More boutique bookstore, Coffee Cantina and Courtyard Café, the Heard Museum is a place of learning, discovery and unforgettable experiences.

Exhibit, event and program funding are provided in part by the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Arizona Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.