Former Pensacola Museum of Art Maria Goldberg discussed Lewis Bear Jr’s love for the visual arts. “If you were to look back in the history of the museum from its inception as an art center, Lewis and Belle, their family, his parents, and now through the Family Foundation, they are probably the largest contributors to the visual arts and the art museum that has ever been.”
She added, “And so we, as a community, Pensacola, we are all indebted to him and his leadership through all of that, that we have such a vibrant museum for the benefit of all of us.”
Goldberg shared that Lewis was “incredibly passionate about art. He loved just being surrounded by it, learning about it, and also sharing it with folks.”
I asked her to share a special moment about Lewis.
“Probably one of the coolest things to see was during our exhibit, the Vandals to Vanguards exhibit, we had a closing reception for that. And we had a panel conversation, which was really wonderful. And on that panel was Lewis and myself, David Bear, and then Lauren Bonner, who is one of his grandchildren.
“And it was really a conversation that was led by the museum of how did you collect? How did you get into art and this and this, that. And I will tell you what is that the twinkle in his eye when he listened to Lauren talk about how she’s inspired as an artist. And how Lewis was such an influence on her and the career path that she’s chosen and her dedication to the arts.
It was just magical. Just one of many magical moments. But that was a really wonderful moment to see that happen.”
