The Centene Center for the Arts just got even sweeter.
A new mural titled St. Louis Honey Bears and located on the art incubator’s eastern wall was unveiled Wednesday. The work of St. Louis native and Instagram sensation fnnch, the 35-by-50-foot mural features four of the artist’s signature honey bears, each celebrating a special thread of the St. Louis tapestry. It is his first large-scale piece for the city, as well as his largest piece to date.
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“I grew up in St. Louis and have a lot of family in the area, so it’s cool to create one of my murals here, especially at this size, and have such an enthusiastic response from the community. Everybody deserves great art,” fnnch, who now lives in San Francisco, said in a press release.
On the top left is Violin Bear, paying homage to nearby icons Powell Hall, The Fabulous Fox Theatre, and The Sheldon Concert Hall & Art Galleries. Below Violin Bear is Blues Bear, the second-cutest bear rocking a Blues hat we’ve ever seen (we love you, Louie), to commemorate St. Louis’ Stanley Cup victory.
To the right of Blues Bear is Artist Bear, honoring the Arts and Education Council’s Centene Center for the Arts on which the mural painted. The top right features Fancy Bear, a subtle tribute to the 1904 World’s Fair and St. Louis’ Gilded Age.
The mural is the first to be commissioned by the Gateway Foundation, which has a long history of purchasing and displaying sculptures. The foundation opened the Citygarden sculpture park in 2009 and is still adding new sculptures frequently.
“We are proud to have partnered with the Arts and Education Council on a mural that celebrates our great city,” the Gateway Foundation said in the release. “The Arts and Education Council is an organization that shares our commitment to increasing access to the arts in St. Louis.”
