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Opioid Spoon Sculpture to be Displayed at the Main Library


9/11/20194 years ago

caution sign The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 4 years ago.

Opioid

The Cambridge Public Library is pleased to announce that the Opioid Spoon sculpture, created by artist and activist Domenic Esposito to raise awareness about the opioid crisis, will be unveiled at the Main Library on September 16 at 12 p.m., and will stay on display at the Main Library until September 30. The sculpture will be displayed in commemoration of National Recovery Month. As a learning space and community gathering place, the CPL provides space for difficult conversations on a wide variety of issues affecting our community and patrons. The opioid crisis is one such issue.

The 800-pound steel sculpture is the physical representation of the Opioid Spoon Project, an initiative started by artist and activist Domenic Esposito to educate and inform the community about the opioid crisis.

The sculpture embodies the pain and hopelessness of families and communities affected by the opioid crisis and is an expression of solidarity for families dealing with addiction. The Opioid Spoon passed through Cambridge earlier this spring on its east coast Honor Tour from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania. During an event held at City Hall, Cambridge residents joined thousands of other grieving family members and friends to sign the spoon in honor of those lost during the epidemic.

The sculpture is also a symbol of hope – that policy makers, heath care providers and the pharmaceutical companies will put the welfare of families ahead of profits and political considerations.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), more than 191 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed to US patients in 2017. More than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses — of those deaths, 68% involved a prescription or illicit opioid. In the first 6 months of 2019, DPH confirmed 611 opioid-related overdose deaths in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The DPH estimates an additional 292 to 363 deaths by the end of the year.

It is hard to imagine a better location for the sculpture than the Main Library. A dynamic and bustling center of civic life in Cambridge, the Main Library hosted last year a screening of Runnin, a documentary film chronicling the impact of the epidemic in Somerville, Massachusetts.  Besides hosting the Opioid Spoon for National Recovery Month 2019 the CPL has created book lists of related readings. Please join us for the unveiling on Monday, September 16 at 12:00 p.m.  The event is co-sponsored by the office of Cambridge Mayor, the Honorable Marc C. McGovern and the Cambridge Public Library.