Photo Courtesy GREG GAINOR Tara Logsdon

Tara Logsdon’s first experience with teddy bear trauma was in 2002 at a Nebraska yard sale. After seeing a maroon, hand-sewn teddy left to waste away, she felt a pang of sadness and took it home. Looking back over the past eight years and hundreds of rescues, Logsdon confesses, “I have an irrational sensitivity to inanimate objects.”

Today, the 37-year-old Phoenix resident is the Valley’s premier teddy bear surgeon. Logsdon scours thrift stores and rummage sales to give these injured dolls a fresh start by stitching them back to life. The former digital artist adds her own flair, using repurposed buttons, trinkets and fabrics. She gives each one a heart made of designer handbags, and when they recover from surgery, they’re ready for adoption ($40-$300).

Photo Courtesy Tara Logsdon A sampling of bears available for sale by Tara Logsdon: Maypee, Amitola and Effie

They become part of Logsdon’s label, EKLbearmy. The “EKL” pays homage to Logsdon’s grandmother, Elizabeth Katherine Logsdon. The rest of the name is a mashup of “bear” and “army.”
 
One of Logsdon’s recent exhibitions, Right to Bear Arms, featured the “101st Bearborne” unit hanging from the gallery’s ceiling. Be on the lookout for Logsdon’s next effort, Hindu Hug Orgy, complete with a lovable, 10-foot-tall, six-armed bear.

For more information or to purchase members of the EKLbearmy, visit eklbearmy.com.

— Celeste Sepessy