“Bear In Mind,” ArtsQuest’s vividly-colored and sensory-friendly installation created by artist THECOLORG features interactive opportunities for adults and children, through April 6, Crayola Gallery, Banana Factory Arts Center, Bethlehem.

According to the artist, the pun-like wordplay in the title is deliberate.

“‘Bear In Mind’ we are thinking about something … and there are literally bears in the show,” says THECOLORG (pronounced “the-color-gee”) adding, “I want you to spend time in the space to connect those things.”

More than 30 two-dimensional and three-dimensional teddy bears inhabit the Crayoia Gallery.

Large teddy bears on the walls invite the public to decorate them with “fabric sprinkles” attached to Velcro found in bins around the gallery.

There are areas set up for photo ops with the teddy bears.

Several handmade plush “sensory” bears can be picked up and cuddled while others “play’ on swings suspended from the ceiling, out of reach.

THECOLORG handcrafted the majority of the teddy bears in the exhibit with the exception of a few that she owns which hold sentimental value to her.

THECOLORG says that the bears on swings are a metaphor for her swinging between her career as an artist and full-time employment as an arts administrator.

“The back and forth of creating, but also having to balance that with your 9 to 5,” says the artist. “How do we as artists and especially the millennial generation survive in an environment like this?”

Visitors are encouraged to color black-and-white printouts of a teddy bear outline that pose the question, “What do you have in mind?” These can be posted on the wall.

“My grandma and my great aunt used to make teddy bears. I didn’t know that until I was older,” says THECOLORG. “I had started doing that on my own. Then my mother told me.” This “generational skill” and interest apparently was passed down to the artist.

“Exhibitions like ‘Bear In Mind’ help to increase access to the arts for people of all ages in our communities. We also encourage engagement with our ‘Touch Collection’ of artwork and musical instruments intended to promote self-exploration and relaxation,” says ArtsQuest Senior Director Arts and Education Lisa Harms.

As some literary writers have pen names, THECOLORG moniker was adopted by the feminine queer interdisciplinary artist based in Philadelphia. She is a professional arts program coordinator at Moore College of Art and Design. Her partner Neill Catangay is an artist.

Born in 1991, Ashley Garner, aka THECOLORG, was raised in central Pennsylvania, took undergraduate studies in Erie, and lived in Pittsburgh before moving to Philadelphia in 2018 to receive a MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

A veteran of group exhibitions and installations, this is THECOLORG’s first solo show.

ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for urban communities.

“Bear In Mind,” THECOLORG, through April 6, Crayola Gallery, Banana Factory Arts Center, 25 W. Third St., Bethlehem, 8 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Monday - Friday. 8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday. 610-332-1300; https://www.bananafactory.org/

“Gallery View” is a column about artists, exhibitions and galleries. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com