Bronze Berry brown bear to be unveiled at national park

DENALI — A new bronze sculpture of a resting brown bear by Denali artist William D. Berry will be unveiled at 4:30 p.m., Friday at the Denali Visitor Center Campus in Denali National Park and Preserve.

Berry was born on May 20, 1926, in San Mateo, Calif. In the early 1950s, he followed his wife (and fellow artist) Elizabeth to her new position with Camp Denali in the heart of Denali National Park. A resident of the park area for many years, Berrys captured Denali’s wildlife on canvas and in sculpture while raising their family on the shores of Deneki Lake. This setting inspired “Deneki: An Alaskan Moose,” a children’s book loved by generations of Alaskans.

Early in his career, Berry cast several small sculptures of the park’s many iconic species, including moose, wolverine and a female brown bear in a resting pose. A life-sized enlargement of the resting bear was commissioned for installation at the Denali Visitors Center as part of a yearlong celebration of arts in Denali National Park.

The casting and installation of the new statue was made possible by a generous gift of Elizabeth Berry to the Denali Institute (now Alaska Geographic).

Wally Cole, longtime friend of Berry and his family during their years in Denali, oversaw development of the statue from idea to installation. The 8-foot bronze is composed of 31 castings welded together by Juneau sculptor Skip Wallen, a fan of Berry who agreed to the nearly four-year effort.

Cole said he envisions the statue to be a child-friendly place to sit and climb, and believes it will be a popular place for photo opportunities — and ideal for opportunities for rangers to discuss bear safety with young visitors.