Judy McKie wants there to be no mistake: What she makes is not only art, but furniture to be lived with and used. So please feel free to (gently) take a seat! McKie has said, “I want to make art that people love.” She achieves this through her use of distinctive animal motifs and her sense of whimsy. She possesses a remarkable ability to capture the essence of the animal she is representing through her sensitive selection of materials. For example, she carved Polar Bear Bench from a block of white marble with crystal flecks that suggest the cold, snowy Arctic where the bear lives.

Judy McKie (born 1944), Polar Bear Bench. Carved marble, 2000. 18 1/4 x 71 3/4 x 19 3/4 in. (46.3 x 182.2 x 50.2 cm). Gift of the Toledo Museum of Art Ambassadors (formerly the Toledo Museum of Art Aides), 2001.25. On view in the Sculpture Garden.