By Molly Snyder Senior Writer Published Jan 14, 2021 at 4:01 PM

As of Wednesday, five white bears will spend the winter in Cathedral Square Park, 520 E. Wells St., but luckily, they are not ravenous nor of the Chicago sports team variety. Instead, they are part of a public art installation called Massimals MKE.

Artist Jason Scroggin, an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Kentucky College of Design, created the life-sized bears. Students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Architecture and Urban Planning helped Scroggin assemble the installation in the Wisconsin Center prior to transporting them to Cathedral Square.

The bears will be on display through the spring of 2021 and are intended to be enjoyed as both public art and fun photo ops. Lighting elements will be added the week of Jan. 18 by Majic Productions.

"The inspiration of the Massimals was to present architectural models at a larger scale to get something out in the public for people of all ages to enjoy instead of just in a gallery. I wanted to present something friendly in an animal form that people would react to and interact with on a full scale," says Scroggin. "My hopes are that people appreciate not only the artistic implications, the materials and the bear shapes, but to also appreciate the playful nature of the installation. My sole purpose is to bring joy to the Milwaukee community." 


Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.

Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.