New Bear on the Block! National Museum of Wildlife Art to Unveil Hacer ‘Cub, Sitting’ on the Sculpture Trail
November 2, 2023The National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) is pleased to announce the addition of a new sculpture to the Museum’s permanent collection. Cub, Sitting by the artist, Hacer will be unveiled on NMWA’s Sculpture Trail on November 9, 2023. This piece was purchased by Collectors Circle. Collectors Circle is a group of NMWA members whose mission is to support acquisitions for the permanent collection of the Museum. Part of their membership dues fund art acquisitions, and members vote on new acquisitions to benefit and diversify the permanent collection.
“Collectors Circle is always excited to acquire notable artworks, and this year, we were privileged to purchase Hacer’s Cub, Sitting. Many members are particularly enthusiastic about adding contemporary pieces to the collection—Cub, Sitting certainly fits that bill. Collectors Circle was formed in 1998 and has been instrumental in adding many significant works to the Museum’s permanent collection, including Study of Two Ravens by James Browning Wyeth, Endangered Species Portfolio by Andy Warhol, and Tiger by Ai Weiwei,” says Collectors Circle Member and Museum Trustee Sally Painter.
As a child in foster care, Hacer was first introduced to origami through the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr. Hacer’s signature works are larger-than-life, brightly colored steel sculptures that evoke the folded style of paper origami, as seen in Cub, Sitting. In discussing his artistic process, Hacer says, “As I learn to shape my work, afraid, I move forward through the familiar unknown and learn to re-shape myself, lessening the past’s grip. Like the dynamic, formative process hidden by my seemingly simple designs; my work’s simple existence aims to elicit a dynamic response about the viewer’s relationship to their formative process: childhood. Through this interaction, we [like I with Calder] can all begin anew.”
Museum Curator Dr. Tammi Hanawalt says, “Hacer’s whimsical Cub, Sitting is a wonderful addition to our permanent collection. The sculpture’s style, based on origami, and its bright green color will bring an eye-catching element of fun to the Museum’s doorstep. Visitors are sure to notice and appreciate this noteworthy new addition.”
The public is invited to attend the official unveiling at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 9, on the Sculpture Trail to the right of the porte cochere.
