JACKSON, Wyo. — Gone but not forgotten, Grizzly 399 will be commemorated with a new sculpture on the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s (NMWA) sculpture trail in 2026.
NMWA announced that sculptor Jocelyn Russell will take on the project of creating a one-and-a-half times life-sized rendering (known in the art world as “heroic scale”) of the Queen of the Tetons. The bear will be depicted standing over her world-famous quadruplets.
“The question was never if the Museum should honor 399, but how,” NMWA Executive Director Steve Seamons said in the announcement. “This sculpture will generate wonder for generations to come while educating the public about 399’s compelling story of conservation and coexistence.”
Seamons noted that the museum received “numerous proposals for donations, commissions and exhibitions” in 399’s honor following news of her death. Russell’s “Legacy of Love” project was selected, and will be completed with her collaborators Michael Dubail, Kristen Douglas-Seitz and Colleen Moore.
“This is more than a sculpture,” Russell said in the announcement. “It’s a statement of love, legacy and the bond between people and the wild.”
The sculpture will be unveiled next fall.
