The best days are Bear Days!

Beardays in Buxton

Celebrating the years that something has been standing stuffed but still growling in a museum may seem a bit odd, but “The Buxton Bear” has been a feature of the Museum since its arrival 30 years ago. 

When Buxton Museum and Art Gallery redesigned its Wonders of the Peak galleries in 2017 there was much debate about “whether the bear should go?”.

not a local bear

After all, this is not a local bear (probably a North American Black Bear, maybe a Brown?). It isn’t an established part of the Collection – it was brought in to give the museum a bear in a cave as an example of the excitements of life in the Peak District a few thousand years ago (although at the time, our bears were probably larger and didn’t growl in trans-Atlantic accents). The Bear, however, is well known, well loved (by some), well loathed (by others) and well dreaded by adults who were growled at when they were (presumably) much younger. The Museum just wouldn’t be the same without The Bear rumbling away in a corner.

So, The Bear stayed.

And this year marks 30 years of growling in a corner of the Gallery. We have been celebrating! 

Over the summer, the Museum staff have been encouraging the Bear into new looks. We have seen a Boating Bear, a Wimbledon Bear, a Holiday bear, a Pride Bear.

Bear Bunting - picnic

The Museum’s regular event artists have also been joining in with assorted Bearday activities. There have been bear masks, bear finger puppets, drawing big bears, making cards of small bears, bear heads. On Sunday just gone we had a Teddy Bear’s Picnic out on the Slopes in front of the Town Hall. Here between sandwiches and running around, we made bear badges and bear bunting. There were crowns for teddy bears (and cuddly zebras and pigs). There were Bearday Cards (sorry, Bear, they all went home with the children who made them!) and a general sense of ursine cheerfulness

Bear with a honey diamond*

So if you are in Buxton, please do drop into the Museum and say hallo to our Bear. She (or he? Not quite sure) is definitely one of the family.

cheerful bear mask!

Our Bear Day events were the last of the BM125 events marking the Museum's 125th Birthday

 and thanks to all all our Bear event participants and to Richard Johnson for the original bear line drawings we used for the badges!

*the bear stole a honey diamond from the snail who owned and guarded it....