“Care Bear” is an adaptation of the Black Box Project where a single image from the project was erected at 55 feet tall on the façade of the Weston Gallery. This image served as an extension of the Black Box project but was more interactive and playful by adding animated elements.

Care Bears was a cartoon from the 80’s who worked together to problem solve and stand up for each other in each episode. Every episode, one or more of the bears came under threat and the Care Bears would collectively address the problem ultimately utilizing the The Care Bear Stare.  The Care Bear Stare is an ability that most members of the Care Bear Family possess. The primary uses of this ability are to defeat the Care Bears' enemies and to heal people and objects that have been corrupted by them. Beams of colorful healing light came from each of their chest until the people or objects were healed.

Goals:

• Use visuals to spread messages of love and eradicate hate

• Perpetuate messages of healing and self-care

• Use scale to create a sense of awe, wonder and excitement

• Use mapped elements engage the public in the familiar and universal concepts of love, mental health, etc.

• Incorporate QR codes in the design/animated elements to connect more people to the BLACK BOX podcast entry point of the project by including the QR in some of the animated design elements.

• Push Afro-Centric images, narratives and visuals that connect to both adolescent and adult populations in a universal way

• Address current events and topics of importance i.e. Roe vs. Wade, HIV/AIDS, COVID, George Floyd in a nuanced, artistic way

• Celebrate Cincinnati: The people, places and things

• Turn them into Teddy Bears i. e. showing the softer , funnier, side. Grounding them in their humanity.