Another Macon public art bear ripped from its pedestal in downtown

It appears pranksters have swiped another of Macon’s signature bears that adorn corners near downtown.

“Music Bear” that guards Daisy Park near Forsyth and Orange streets recently has been ripped from its red pedestal in the latest case of vandalism that began in 2011 shortly after the fiberglass statues were installed.

“It is disturbing,” Macon Arts Alliance Executive Director Julie Wilkerson said Friday. “It would be a tragedy if something has happened to one of our bears.”

In February, “Symphony Bear” was taken from Tattnall Square Park across from Alexander II Elementary School.

That statue was recovered and is awaiting repairs at the Macon-Bibb County Parks and Beautification Department.

No one knows yet what happened to “Music Bear,” the 6-foot tall blue bear adorned with musicians, instruments and sheet music.

In 2009, a $15,000 Knight Neighborhood Challenge grant was awarded to commission six statues by local artists through the Community Foundation of Central Georgia in the project coordinated by the Macon Arts Alliance.

Just a few days after the “Trail of Bears” was unveiled in 2011, Macon police charged two Mercer University students with felonies for removing and destroying the bear at the corner of Adams Street and Coleman Avenue.

The university issued a statement: “We are embarrassed and disappointed that Mercer students engaged in such thoughtless and destructive behavior.”

The students reportedly paid restitution of up to $4,000, and the bear was replaced.

Four years later, two other Mercer students confessed to removing “Music Bear” and “Symphony Bear” from their pedestals and dumping them near the home of Mercer President Bill Underwood.

The students confessed to a drunken assault on the unique creations and faced disciplinary action.

“These bears are important,” Wilkerson said. “Art is a unifier, and the bears also connect us to Mercer University, which is a part of this town.”

Wilkerson and Macon-Bibb County supervisors overseeing the parks have begun an investigation into what happened to “Music Bear.”

“It really is a shame because the art is for everybody to enjoy,” Wilkerson said.

This story was originally published October 19, 2018 at 2:44 PM.