Anna Koetse • Bears & Stuff

Love Letter

2011-12-19T03:08:00.002-08:00

Another sample of my Lady's Bags series. I just Love working on these items, being artistic with a message.

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose

2011-12-19T03:06:00.000-08:00

'Carry Cakes' , 'Kijk op Cakes'

2011-12-19T02:09:00.000-08:00

Hard to choose from the plate which cup-cake is most attractive. It was a challenge to paint these sweeties on the off-white bag. It takes more time to get their images step-by-step on the leather bag than to cook the real ones. One of the cakes was so tired being a model that it nearly fell from the presentation.

Lady's Bag creation

2011-12-01T04:12:00.000-08:00

Just love items which are artistic and useful at the same time. A couple of months ago I did make my first attempt to paint over a bag which desperately needed a second live. The bag was dull and nearly ended its life in the second hand store. But then I decided to change it and my brushstrokes did the rest. The fox, cock and hen agreed to change their lives as well and now live peacefully ever after.

Perm/Russia 2011

2011-10-05T05:19:00.000-07:00

Perm/Russia:
“The teddy is a symbol of a happy youth”

In old Finnish language the word ‘perem’ means ‘far land’ and that is where Perm derived its name from. The 1.2 million inhabitants of the city live 1300 km east from Moscow, in the most eastern city of Europe, close to the Ural mountains and nestled along both sides of the Kama river, the second largest river in Europe. Many famous names like Chaikovsky, Boris Pasternak, founder of the Ballet Russes Sergev Diaghilev and ballerina Anna Pavlova lived is this city and have put Perm on the cultural world list thanks to their widely known artistic contributions. Perm is inspiring, multicultural and a cross way in many ways. The Trans Siberian Express from Moscow to Vladivostok makes a stop here and most tourists are from Russia itself.
Perm in summer is sunny and friendly and, as if summer likes to compete with her counterpart winter, it now snows transparent fluffy white balls with the seeds of the poplars covering the roads as if a huge duvet from heaven has just opened.
Hardly recovered from the 13 hours door-to-door trip and the 4 hours time difference, the teddies get full attention from press and television in the Wonderhall in Perm. Natascha Kataeva, founder of the very first Teddy Bear Club in Russia and Irina Myzina, owner of the renowned Wachtanov Gallery in Moscow reply patiently to all the questions the press like to be answered. Irina is a teddy pioneer in Russia, and this year she celebrates the 14th anniversary of her gallery where artist dolls and –bears are nicely displayed as truly pieces of art. Both ladies travel a lot for the sake of the teddy and they both organize happenings where teddy collectors and makers can meet and greet.
Although the common brown bear, in Russian ‘medved’, is well known and a respected inhabitant in Perm region (the city even has the image of the bear in the arms of the town) the ‘teddy’ bear is a bit of a newcomer. The famous Russian Misha or Mishka bear (the diminutive form of medved), the mascotte of the Olympic Games in 1980, is more a cartoonish type of bear with human features as he appeared with a tear in his eye during the closing ceremony in Moscow. His looks are from a small cuddly and smiling bear, rather than a teddy. But during this week-end in June 17-19, the citizens in Perm and people living as far as Siberia, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod or Ekaterinaburg get to learn everything about the teddy during the MedveDays, so to say the ‘beary’ days. The Slavic term for bear ‘medved’ is literally and very appropriately translated in “ the one who knows honey”.
It all starts with the Parade along the high street, Komsomolskii prospekt from the starting point at Bolshevistakaya street where Perm’s proud, the statue of the “Medved” bear is located. Everyone with the word ‘bear’ (medved) in its name, like Medvedev, or other related names, like Micha, Mishka, Michenka, or Mikhail, Michael and everyone who carries a teddy, or is dressed as a teddy in some way is invited to take part in the procession. A 3-meter high, air-stuffed bear is guiding us and walks front row. Police is holding the traffic and TV-camera’s are following the happening, as this is the first local event where the teddy takes such an important place. At 11.00 a.m. the official opening of the Medvedays is a fact, proceeding by music and dance. Striking white tents are set up at the park along the Kama river and opposite the historical Meshkov House, where Perm’s Museum of Regional Studies is located. Here at about 60 exhibitors show off their work in an equal number of styles and interpretations of the teddy. The show has free entrance and there is great interest in the creations and the little workshops where techniques are explained. At the First Aid corner old teddies are operated at eyes and ears and arms or legs get stuffing where needed.
At noon the special exhibition of ‘The Secret Teddy” of Irina Myzina from the Wachtanoff Gallery and photographer Wladimir Pomogayev, both form Moscow, opens in the basement of the museum at the other side of the street. Blown-up pictures show yesterdays teddies and nowadays creations, all from Irina’s private collection, cautiously carried in the hands of divergent people from all ages. Only featuring one particular teddy and the people’s arms carefully holding it against a pitch-black background on the picture results in a fascinating warm and mollifying feeling. On the first floor of the museum is the permanent exposition of the history of the Russian teddy and the private collection of Natascha Kataeva, with a special ‘thanks’ to Regina Tereshkina, collector of toys and bears from all over the world, and who left a heritage of toys with great history to the city Perm
No show without a contest. And, although it is hard to compare entries in a contest without categories, the jury agrees unanimously that the Winner of the event’s competition is the interpretation of the real bear, made by Nikolay Karelov .The creation is sawed from branches from a birch, which shows the bear as he is in all his simplicity and strength. Second best is the teddy that shows where Perm is known for: engineering, attending ballet performances, playing football and his writers.
On Sunday evening it is auction time and all proceeds are for the benefit of a good purpose. Very professionally offered and displayed, the 13 items are sold, amongst them 4 teddies of a Limited Edition of Steiff. The self-made creation of the Minister of Culture of Perm, Mr. Nikolaj Nowitschkow (looking a huggable teddy himself) gets a lot of interest and his furry inspiration meets his proud adoption parent after the exciting bidding. ‘Piece the resistance’ is the teddy-cake-lot, sold to the owner of the Museum and which is shared by all people attending the auction. A round of applause for Natascha Kataeva who organized this event with so much enthusiasm, a big thank you to the director of the Museum of Perm, who understands the importance and fast growing interest of the teddy, and ‘chapeau’ for the city of Perm for its financial contribution for these Medved-Teddy Days. To one last question about his opinion of the teddy, the Minister of Culture of Perm melancholy muses: ‘to me the teddy bear is a symbol of a happy youth’. Nothing can beat these wise words, so we say goodbye to Perm and its incredible hospitality.
Till next time,

Anna Koetse
www.annakoetse.com
http://www.teddyclub.narod.ru/
http://www.museum.perm.ru/
www.artdolls.ru
www.pomogaev.com

Wink

2011-09-02T03:58:00.000-07:00

No idea for what the old mohair was used for before I picked up scissors to cut the pattern for this creation. Spots of turquoise on its skin gave inspiration to choose for the combination of the patch-work pieces of her apron, combined with vintage lace which originated in France. Little images of my aquarelle (on fabric) embellishes the outfit. Welcome Wink!

Aquarelles on fabric

2011-08-16T03:32:00.000-07:00

After a long search, I finally could transfer my paintings on fabric and I have to admit: they look great. The fabric cannot faint or blur. It is washable too. How nice to see a cushion perk up and embellish small items as real work of art. Use all your bits and pieces, mohair, wool, cotton or whatever left-overs you do not like to throw away. Use your imagination and creativity and surprise yourself and others. Prints come in 3 sizes and the biggest is A-4 format and they are very affordable. There are 6 different images where you can choose from, or even better: take them all! Prices are from 1,50 € to 7,00 € each. You will have 10% discount when ordering over 5 pieces.

Poste Restante

2011-06-13T01:57:00.000-07:00

This little friend Poste Restante is a combi of identities: the old tin mail-box is from the UK, the vintage mohair originated in Germany, the ribbon came from France and everything was assembled at a place just in between those countries.
An air-mail envelop and red/blue pencils created the post in the bag, and 2 real teddy magazines are hidden in it too. Poste Restante waits to be picked up, but already found its destination. It was fun creating him.

Gee-gee

2011-06-06T04:12:00.000-07:00

An old paper torn into pieces and stuck together with wall paper glue is the base for the little horse. Next step is covering it with some layers of elastic clay which dries open air. Paint and shade is added. Last step is making its leather saddle, tail and mane. Now his bit and bridle and there he goes the perky Gee-gee. Big step for a boy no bigger than 24cm! Have a pleasant journey and be safe.

Confession

2011-05-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

There is no way I can hide this for you and I cannot lie about it either: I am a little bit in love with my latest Pinocchio. I have made many Pinocchios over the years, with red and yellow, red and blue, red and white stripes, but this one is different. The colors are more subdued, with a touch of fading beige/pink. All kinds of techniques blend together before Pinocchio is looking into its world. There is the fiddling with the pieces of mohair to fit in his joints, there is clay for the 'wooden' touch in his long nose and the nuts, which has been painted afterwards and there is the face-making-technique which gives the bear its real character. Welcome Pinocchio, feel happy!

To the beach

2011-04-29T05:58:00.000-07:00

Weather has been extremely warm for the time of the year in the Netherlands. The sunny sandy beaches, which are close by, inspired me to make this little friend. The espadrilles are funny to see in this very tiny size, they were brought from Barcelona, Spain. A couple of years ago I found some old fishing nets in a shop for antiques, so I could give this to my lad (24 cm tall) to play with along the shore. And in the meantime he found some jelly fish (teddy-shape) already!
If you meet him on the beaches of Zandvoort please say hello and ask him for his catch.

Bunny Creamy

2011-04-07T03:36:00.000-07:00

As usual Easter time is pre-eminently the moment for Bunnies to show off, and Creamy isn't acting differently. Due to a special technique she can pose herself in funny bunny ways. Most proud she is on her stunning dress made from real old pleated organza with a touch of bling-bling. Her necklace and ear bow complete the look. Happy Easter!

Spring in the air

2011-03-21T03:24:00.001-07:00

It is spring and therefor this teddy is in the mood to change the color of her mohair. Fading green dye on her body and her outfit makes her irresistible. A touch of embroidery, lace and flowers completes the feel of dawning love. Let the sun shine in!

Georgina is her name

2010-10-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

Old lace ribbons were sewn together and cut in the pattern of the fancy dress. Georgina is a romantic girl and she has a nostalgy for the past. Her arms are bendable as she likes to hold her purse when she is going out for a stroll.

Pinocchio

2010-09-16T04:22:00.000-07:00

Characters are always inspiring me and Pinocchio is one of them. Not an easy job to create him, as I wanted him to have the same construction as the original wooden one, made by Giopetto. Pinocchio has 9 joints and I needed to adjust my pattern. It is a little toiling and moiling to get the joints in the right position halfway arms and legs. Pinocchio's nose is molded from clay as are the confirmations at the knees and elbows. And if Pinocchio is not telling the truth he will put on his nose. Please enjoy his features.

Mad Hatter

2010-05-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

Last year I designed bear Alice especially for Teddy Bears of Witney, and for the new catalogue 2010/2011 I have made this character, the Mad Hatter. I started to make the hat, measured the head of the bear and made a sample of thick paper untill I was completely satisfied which the height and the width. Then I made the hat again of black felt and stiffened it and gave it some decorations. Designing the trousers was next. I wanted it to be wide at the seam, fabric is silk. Jacket is made from very nice crunched velvet which I bought in Paris a while ago. And the finishing touch is the tape measure, which I made from cotton. It was fun working with this guy, hope you like him too.

2010-03-25T07:42:00.000-07:00

Secrets of Riga

2010-02-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

A Latvian legend tells that every 100 years the devil rears its head
from the waters around the city of Riga and asks whether the city is ‘ready’ yet and when the answer would be ‘yes’ then this over 900 years old capital would be doomed to sink in the river Daugava . Riga is not yet ‘ready’, and the devil can plunge back into the water, saving this historical city for at least another 100 years as the teddy is a complete new phenomenon in Latvia, yet certainly ‘ready’ to introduce itself to this Baltic country. Of course the Latvians are familiar with the brown bear, inhabitant of the dense forests of the country, but the huggable proof, irresistible, and never dangerous version, called ‘teddy’ has only recently made his entrée in the capital spreading his contagious attraction.

It is midst December and Hanseatic town Riga looks as a setting in a fairy-tale with the illumination of the Christmas decorations. People are tucked away in warm coats, fluffy caps and struggle with shawls to protect themselves against the cold wind. Three churches and the remarkable zeppelin shape pavilions of the famous Central Market dominate the skyline. And just behind this huge building of the market the ‘Spikeri’ is located. In the old days this block of red brick stone warehouses served as storehouses for the market and, with the help of the UNESCO World cultural heritage, it is completely restored in the old style. Since 2007 these historical warehouses now serve as a keynote for creating new recreation and visiting place in the very heart of Riga. The remarkable buildings house trendy cafes, galleries, arts workshops and cultural facilities. Thus the perfect entourage for the Teddy and Dolls Museum owned by Inara Liepa, which recently celebrated its first anniversary. With the support of her multi talented husband Uldis and daugter Santa, here Inara realized her long cherished dream.
After the independency of Latvia in 1991 people were ready for new impulses and got lots of inspiration. Encouraged by her father who had always been collecting antiques and ‘brocantes’, Inara opened the first Dolls and Toy shop in Riga at that time. During a visit at Finland she gained more knowledge about toys of the old world in museums: here she found the source of inspiration to open her own museum. And, only a couple of years ago, attending an International Russian teddy show, Inara learned about the popularity of the Teddy and fell in love. Her suitcase protruded of the numerous books, magazines and patterns of the furry friend. And here she also became friends with Russian bear-artist Natasja Kataeva, founder of the first Russian Teddy Bear Assocation in Perm. It was Natasja who persuaded Inara to organize a teddy exhibition and workshop in Riga. The Master class, which Natasja performed in winter 2008 bore fruit and her enthusiastic students gained unconditional love for the teddy. They found a new hobby and got ambitious to execute their own creations. Materials and fabrics for doing so are not easy on hand, and the students are certainly still pioneering in finding the right and the best sources. Solvita Baudele was one of the eager students. Being a collector of old teddies she opened her heart for the teddy a long time ago and it was a pleasant surprise to her that she is now being able to enlarge her collection with her own ideas. She gives away her secret addresses where she finds the materials for executing them. ‘Lenta’ is a typical historical factory outlet, which is located out of the centre. Here you will find thousands of ribbons plus strands of cotton and wool. The proud owner still uses the counting frame for making out the total. Funny enough she prefers the frame to all modern devises. The Audumu Supermarket is a little paradise when it comes to imitation fur, cheerful fabrics, buttons and beads, all kinds of threads, but also plastic animal eyes and joints. Santa Liepa, daughter of Inara, displays her bears for the first time in this years show. Motivated by her mothers enthusiasm she decided to design something unusual, perhaps even eccentric as she holds on to her own taste and style. She especially designs her creations for her own age group through which she is inspired at the same time. Her black-white Rock Bears are mainly made from imitation leather, velvet and are decorated with every little item she finds. Mohair is too expensive and not easy to get and using these fabrics Santa gets the freedom in designing, which she is striving for.
This year’s exhibition in the Spikeri has been realized with the support of the Latvian Designer’s Society and Artist’s Union of Latvia. Teddies as well as artists dolls were nicely displayed under the old wooden beams of the attic, the ideal atmosphere were the teddy flourishes at his best. Please do not tell the devil where to find the treasures, as the teddy is not ‘ready’ yet.

Till next time,

Anna Koetse
www.annakoetse.com
www.dollart.lv

Teddy-ists from Perm to Moscow

2007-08-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

It is getting more and more social on the flight when there are only a few Russian people left after the stop in Nizhniy Novgorod and whose final destination is also Perm. Perm is located in the last part of Europe just before Asia starts. It is the most afforested oblast (province) in the Russian Federation on the spurs of the Ural Mountains. The Russians poor each other in from their own brought bottles of booze and sing out loudly. The peace returns when we prepare for landing 2 hours later in the pitch-dark. The bright enlightened, snow covered airport looks like an immense twinkling star in the night.

It is 5.30, before dawn and it is freezing. After arrival each passenger is checked intensively on visa, passport and looks. The dull drones of the stamps on the papers needed sound to us like a warm welcome on Russian territory and luckily also our luggage has arrived. Natasja Kataeva, founder of the first Russian Teddy Bear Club, greets us warmly and in the middle of the night she takes us to our hotel together with her son Sascha. My watch has to be adjusted 4 hours ahead of time, my legs feel like walking on clouds, and my ears are somewhat deaf. But I have to pull myself together since my ‘master-class’ will begin within a few hours time. My pupils are very eager to learn, ask the right questions and work steady on the teddy-to-be thanks to my interpreter Olga. I explain them my tricks of the trade and give away little secrets, explain them where to pay attention to when stuffing the head and limps of the teddy and the apotheosis follows when we apply some shades on nose, eye sockets and ears with a brush, paint and water. It is getting somewhat hectic when television crews like to take an interview too. Obviously is ‘Making Teddy Bears’ news and ‘hot’. After the class has finished Natasja guides us to a small exposition room, where dozens of teddy bears are competing for the best place. I can only choose one favorite, but that appears to be difficult: all bears look so cute, full of creativity and have a lot of appeal.
The next day we are offered a city tour through Perm and we learn that this metropolis, with a surface of 2800 km2 , and with no less than 1,2 million inhabitants, was left out on purpose of all maps before 15 years ago, nor were the roads leading to the city indicated. Perm is an industrial city for techniques in space travel, launching systems for rockets, weapons and engines for airplanes. But that this city could have been kept as a ‘secret’ for such a long time is a great miracle considering the fact that it was the home city of big names as composer Tjaikovski, prima ballerina Anna Pavlona and the multi talented Diaghilev. The river Kama, sometimes even wider than 4 km, splits up the city and is rich of minerals and a huge variety of fish. I try to imagine how it will be in summertime when people are sun bathing on the small beaches, swim, fish, or make trips on a boat in the river. Perm proudly carries a brown bear in its city-arms and that is shown everywhere. But the real bears living here nearby, Russia’s national symbol, are luckily in hibernation. In the evening we get a big surprise: a visit at the banya, a steam sauna where you beat your body up with intervals with an ice cold, soaking wet bunch of twigs. We look like red lobsters when we are cooling down outdoors a little bit later and we are bursting out laughing.
The ice caves in Kungur with underground glaciers and huge natural ice sculptures are another high-light of this trip. When we have to say goodbye to Natasja a few days later, we promise to return soon again but then in a more sunny and warmer season.

The Kama-Express train will bring us to Moscow in no less than 23 hours, partly over the Trans Siberian track. On the little table in our compartment I display all food and drinks we brought: we could easily survive a week with this forage, due to the incredible Russian hospitality.
When we leave Perm millions of birches and steppe fields are alternating each other. A wreath of smoke here and there give away that there must be life in the simple wooden houses. It is getting dark early and late getting light. Our provodnik (the conductress in our wagon) smiles a ‘good morning’ to us. We make tea and coffee with the boiling hot water from the samovar, an odd looking tap located in every wagon. There are still a few more hours to go before we will reach the station Yaroslavskaya in Moscow. The sky looks grey and it drizzles when we arrive. We are just about to look for a porter when Gemma Cadge rushes forward. With the help of our best Russian and her best English we understand that she is taking us to the hotel first and that she will introduce us to the 2nd Teddymania tomorrow. The Teddymania is both an exposition and a show and is organized by Gemma and her friend Anastia Kuptsova. Our hotel is located right opposite the Kremlin and we enjoy a stunning view on the brightly-colored spiraling onion domes: this is dreamland! In the Art-Trofi Gallery, where the bears of the Teddymania found a hospitable place, is a lot going on: 4 female musicians are preparing themselves for the musical setting, television crews are testing the best light and the mother of Gemma is putting together the drinks and snacks. With endless patience my interpreter Alexandra helps me to fill in the forms of the jury and I am concentrating myself on the overall look and the quality of the teddy’s I have to judge. Just like last year I notice how big the creativity is in Russia, how humoristic, full of symbolic and original. For that reason it isn’t easy at all to make the right selection from the 200 entries. A little later the official opening of the event takes place: speeches, words of ‘thank you’, flashes, buzzing of cameras, flowers, cheers and music. A hearty gathering with many familiar faces. Co-member of the jury Dr. Alexandr Grekov invites us to visit his toy museum in Sergyev Posad the next day. Posad is a well known centre of artisans skilled in making wooden toys and also the matrioshka’s are originated here. The difference between the excessive neon-lighted centre of Moscow and the grey looking outskirts is big, but the concrete soon changes into the dasja’s (cottages of which nearly every Russian family owns one) in the afforested surrounding outside the city. Just before dark we are welcomed by mister Grekov. With appropriate proud he shows us the collections and the period rooms. Curiously we are guessing the origin and age of the old Russian teddy bears, many made from fabric, which will get their definite place in the museum in the near future. Right across the museum is the beautiful Trinity Monastery of St. Sergei located, a place of pilgrimage. Of course we will light candles in the little church and we will take home the holy water from the well. One more night and we have to say goodbye to everyone. The suitcases are heavy because of the Russian liberality: at home we will say ‘cheers’ to the teddy-ists from Perm and Moscow for a very long time!

Till next time,
Anna Koetse, Netherlands

Dangerous love?

2006-03-18T01:04:00.000-08:00

The roots of my family–in-law are Finnish, so for a long time a visit to this Scandinavian country was planned, a destination which is known for its overwhelming, unspoiled nature and incredible peace. Helsinki Airport was covered with fresh crispy snow when we arrived and the strong wind helped to speed up our taxi. The centre of the capital is rather small with the interesting spots in easy reach by foot. The pavements of the shopping area were heated and invited us to walk along. Days are very short in the winter, but the illumination of the alleys and esplanade were so colorful that the sun was barely missed.
The guidebook told us that the island of Suomenlinna (Castle of Finland) is a must-to-see, located at the entrance of Helsinki's harbor and within a 15 minutes distance by boat from the Market Square. At this time of the year it freezes for weeks, so it was a heavy and noisy, yet interesting experience to break a way through the iced sea. Although the island has 2000 permanent inhabitants, it is in fact an open-air museum and protected by Unesco. It is quite a stroll along the colonial wooden houses in cheer yellow and blue, the fortress constructions and dangerous cliffs and one could easily spend a day here.
Equipped with the camera we followed the signs to the Dolls and Toy museum which
promised to house a lot of old teddies too. Unfortunately it was closed! But I promise that I will return soon and show you the result later.

It is obvious that people in the teddy world love most fur-covered animals in general and are less interested in cold, sleek skin. How many of you do cuddle a cat or dog and how little of you would house a reptile or bird? Well, I am no exception to this rule: I adore my cats Nada and Pipeloen, and if it was up to me I would keep dogs too. So it is no wonder that I definitely wanted to join a husky safari in the most Northern part of Finland,Lapland. The Big Brown Bear also choose this area as his domicile, but information learned that an encounter with this family would luckily not be an option as they would be in long hibernation.
Hundreds of kilometers north from the Polar Circle the landscape only show snowcovered
fir-trees, frozen swamps and again white firs, but nature compensates this
monotony with the most challenging dawn. Pink, blue and purple were fighting for the
best places in the sky and with no other noise then the howling voices of the huskies I
fancied myself on another planet. The thermometer showed -35 Celsius, each step gave a
little crack as a reply, and my nostrils hurt with every inhalation, but the huskies didn’t care. They greeted us exuberantly and showed so much affection that I nearly fell over.
Each sled for the safari was pulled by a set of 6 dogs, a mix of the Siberian and the
Alaskan husky, and they can take you as far as 120 km per day! There is no doubt that I
enjoyed every minute of the expedition, yet very grateful that we could have a break after a few hours and defrosted ourselves in a typical wooden Sami-tipi.
Less cheerful, but serious minded the reindeers were awaiting us the next morning. Their reaction was a bit shy and they were keeping me off when I tried to hug them and touch their fur. They simply resigned themselves to the track they had to follow, thoughtfully and slowly. Each quadruped pulled a one-person-sled and in these surroundings I definitely felt like a female Santa Claus.
Back at Helsinki Airport I was searching for a little souvenir to bring home. Clearly the real Brown Bear is hunted after in Finland, as amongst the jars with Blue Berry jelly and packages with salmon, I also discovered some tins with Bear-pate and Bear-soup. Obviously a real treat here in Finland. Maybe I should take a closer look at my family-inlaw!

Cheerio, take care,

Anna Koetse
Anna Koetse’s

Welcome Korea in Teddy Bear Land

2004-04-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

When the invitation to attend the Grand Opening of the first Teddy Bear Museum in Korea on the island Cheju is delivered express, and when also the Korean Teddy Bear Association will organize her first Teddy Bear Art Show in Seoul during the same period of time, one phone call is sufficient to reserve my plane ticket: Amsterdam- Seoul-Cheju. Seoul is the capital of South-Korea, and is with her 12 million inhabitants the 6th largest city of the world. The International Airport Incheon has just been opened, the big glass, bulb-shaped train station in front of the Airport has not been finished yet, so first I try to find the shuttle bus which will bring me to the hotel. Like in Japan only few people speak some English, but as I am trained to speak body-language in the meantime (once I will attend the world championship ‘pantomime’), my ticket is soon bought, and I find myself waiting at the right stop. Downtown Seoul is busy in a pleasant way, architectonic impressive buildings and hotels, trees show off their first fresh green leaves and the temperature is agreeable warm. Although it is supposed to be the best accessible system of the world, I don’t dare to enter the Underground yet, but with the help of a Romanised map of Seoul and with sneakers at my feet, a few hours later my arms are heavy from carrying the numerous bargains ( most of them I will use for my bears) from the immense market Dongdaemon.

In the small alleys of the market with thousands of people and signs with only Korean characters one easily gets lost, but happily their are information corners as big as a telephone box, where friendly helpers explain what your position is.
Saturday morning to the National Airport Kimpo (one hour with the shuttle) for the flight to Cheju, my final destination. With the frequency of a bus schedule ( about 30 times a day!!) a loaded plane leaves Seoul in order to arrive 70 minutes later at Cheju Airport. Sunny, the guide, born and raised in Cheju, waits for me and with pride she tells me that Cheju lacks only 3 things: “Thieves, beggars and the front door of houses”. Unfortunately the wind is too heavy to explore much of the island, but the famous nursery of Bonzai trees is a must for a visitor. It is curious to see grown-up trees, which are not bigger than 60 cm, with enormous bunches of flowers of the blue wisteria at their branches. If you look closely you can see the threads through which the trees can keep their dwarfish shape, and of course they are often competently pruned.

A few hours later I can see the striking glass pyramid of the museum, the real reason of my arrival! Together with Dee and Tom Hockenberry I’ll make a reconnaissance, as Mr. Ray Kim, the museum director, doesn’t have a spare moment for us yet. Only
the next morning, on the 22nd of April, the museum will be opened officially and many things has to be done, as we can see. In and around the building it is a coming and going of many people. Workers are still busy with draglines, cleaning the facades
and terraces or are filling the ponds. Decades of women are planting tussocks of grass, toil and moil boards and brigs and are wiping the access roads. Unrecognisable, sun tanned and with a beard from weeks, Ray Kim joins us for dinner that night. Around ten ‘o clock he excuses himself: “ I cannot make it too late, sorry, but I have to continue to work tonight.”

“ It would be nice to see you share the happy moment of the Grand Opening with all of us”, was written on the invitation. So the next morning hundreds of guests gather at the parking place in front of the museum and the sun gathers brightly too:
The mayor, the architects, advisers, and the many friends of Jesse Kim, the owner of the museum. Jesse beams, his dream came true: he has always strived to do something fun, in spite of the fact whether it will bring in much money. And we are present at the beginning of this dream. After the salute to the Korean flag, return thanks to all his friends who kept on believing in this project, and a warm welcome for everybody, scissors are handed over to 27 people. Enthusiastically I am cutting through the parti- coloured ribbon together with Bev White, Linda Mullins and Dee Hockenberry
amongst others. As the museum has been built against a mountain, one enters on the 3rd floor. Upon arrival five framed pencil drawings from Ber Boom (NL). The two elevators have been covered with sheets of steel in which thousands tiny teddy bears engraved. Then on the second floor bear Marty starts his journey through time starting in 1901 and ending in 2040 and we are joining him. In huge glass show-cases Marty ( his name is derived from the movie “ Back to the future”) shows us the start of the age of the motorized vehicles: bears in old fashioned clothing chugging in the first trendy T- Fords. From an iceberg polar bears are watching the Titanic where beary people are dancing and dining on deck . The first television, bears are nearly stuck to the screen.
In 1944 the invasion of the Allied Powers in Normandy, in 1955 the opening of the first Disney park in Anaheim, California (US). Along the way Marty let us experience the landing on the moon in 1969. And with the excavation of the Army of stone in
China ( with dozens bears made out of concrete), the Hippies in London and the fall of the wall in Berlin the 20st century is rounded off. But also many celebrities have been changed into bears. The wind is fiddling with Marilyn’s Monroe famous white
evening gown ( Myunghee Won, Korea). Emperor Bonaparte, Charlie Chaplin in the movie “Timemachine”, Elvis Presley and the Beatles have been reincarnated into bears by Bev White. “Snowhite” reads the seven dwarfs ( Helga Torfs, Belgium) and
Audrey Hepburn plays the part of Eliza Doolittle in “My fair lady” ( Anna Koetse).

On the first floor the Teddy Bear Gallery: Amongst others the “Mona Lisa”, a self-portrait of Van Gogh, statues of Rodin with
beary features “The Kiss” and “The Thinker”. The “Last Evening meal”(!) and the “Flute-player” of Edouard Manet. As I am writing this article, I am now most sure that the impressive glass pyramid of this museum is the little brother of the Louvre in
Paris. By all means the Steiff bear, dressed by Louis Vuitton, commands respect as he can say that he is the most expensive bear in the world. Last year Jesse Kim bought this bear for a few 1.400.000 FF at an auction in Monaco. In a long display wedding couples from many countries in their original costumes. Bears from Anna Hoo and Marjoleine Vos (NL), and an exquisite couple with the Japanese rickshaw from Yuki Harada. With a collection antique furries, Paddingtons, Ruperts, Santa Bears and the history of the Teddy Bear in a nutshell, the tour has come to an end. From the glass pyramid a glance to the garden and at the horizon the Japanese sea. With this beautiful asset I am sure that the love for the Teddy Bear will soon spread in Korea, and I wish Jesse Kim a long and lovely dream.

Anna Koetse
www.annakoetse.com