Bear With Me - Art Interaction

Hi! My name is Jeffrey and I'm creating an interactive art project to heal broken spirits and provide respite from a world filed with bullying, injustice, murder, and violence using a library of Care Bears. I invite you to support the creation of this piece which I hope to share in multiple locations throughout the Midwestern region and beyond. The project will feature semi-private interactive spaces where guests of all ages may interact with the bear or bears of their choosing or have a bear(s) selected for them after filling out a simple checkout card asking them what color(s) they've been drawn to, what areas of loss, pain or stress they've been experiencing, and which emotion(s) have they been exhibiting or trying to avoid and areas where encouragement is needed. A select group of volunteers will be serving the guests - welcoming them to the experience and serving as "bear librarians, and listening hearts. These individuals will record which bears have been "checked out" by each guest on their respective cards.Each guest may take as long as they wish with their bear(s) and each will be furnished with suggested interactive possibilities such as "If you could have a conversation with your bear, what would you say? What do you imagine it saying back to you?" etc.This art interaction piece is designed to offer the guest a unique and personal experience and will include the option of taking selfies with the bear and tweeted onto the universe under the hashtag #bearwithme - completely blowing up this hashtag which is currently filled with first world rants trending toward the negative. The piece will also feature the artist's learnings about self - including his personal battle with depression, inspiration from being a "manny" (male nanny) and the children he's served, and the significance of meaningful or "sacred"objects such as heirlooms, keepsakes, souvenirs, talismans, and totems. Upon return of the bear(s), each guest will be asked to complete the back side of their checkout form - indicating what the experience was like for them, any key thoughts or feelings that occurred during their experience and who they may encourage to visit or bring back with them. Each checkout card will record only the guest's first or code name of their choosing to protect privacy. The two-sided completed checkout card will be retained as a part of the library to count guests interacting with the project.It is the artists hope to also include memorable stories collected along the way during the project's assemblage as well as a brief history of the Care Bears, the significance of the teddy bear within human history, why certain objects hold deep personal meaning, and how to come alongside someone who is battling depression. I hope you will choose to invest in this life affirming and positive art interactive experience being brought to life! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at either [email redacted] or via text to [phone redacted]✌️Peace, strength, and rainbows,jDJeffrey Dangel (like Dan with Gel in his hair) **Funds received will be used for all elements of the project such as covering costs of already collected bears, possible additional collection, library display creation and integration stations, marketing, art show application costs, gallery space rentals, transportation costs, etc.