b'Drever did what is called hand-refinement on the faces. He is pleased with the subtleties he has been able to realize, like the cheek line of the female bear. If you put my partners head in there it would blow your mind to see the two of themtogether.Sheisundeniablyunderneaththatfur.Dreverisperfectly aware that in making a pair of Love Bears he is setting himself up for accusa-tions of sentimentality. Im at a point where I dont really care, so bring it on, he says. Im not trying to hide anything and I think theyre really beautiful. What I felt came from a real place and to ignore it just because a love story is a clich would have been disingenuous. But his investment goes deeper than a question of appropriateness. Drever has become the thing he has made. Even before I started to put together my heritage I related to the bear in very many ways. Personally, Ive always felt like a bear, right down to the way I hibernatebygettingawayandoneofmydaughtersnicknameswasBaby Bear. It always felt like we were a bear family. Additionally, Drever is aware that the revival of the Love Bears is a gesture that pushes through the personal into the political. Because of the situation in the US and the right wing thing that has emerged everywhere else, I began thinking about making the world a better place. I know it sounds hokey but love really is the answer. I dont need to point out the hypocrisy of sanctioned violence anymore and I dont need to go into that part of the psyche. What I need to cul-tivate is the peaceful side of myself. Thats the thing we are missing right now in these divisive times. In this engaging sculpture, Dean Drever has found an irresistible way of concentrating on the bear essentials that will undo that per-vasive division.1. All quotations from Dean Drever are taken from his artists statement and from a telephone interview with the writer conducted on August 14, 2019.Robert Enright is the Research Professor in Art Theory and Criticism in the School of Fine Art & Music at the University of Guelph. He lives in Winnipeg where he is the senior contributing editor for Border Crossings magazine20'