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Press ReleaseFor Immediate Release Turning Violent Toys into a Sculpture of WhimsyIf swords can be turned into plowshares, then toys invoking violence can be transformed into a whimsical sculpture by imaginative handiwork. Jim and Mary Opasik will demonstrate how it is done in a public performance of clanking, drilling and assembling. The acclaimed "assemblage" sculptors will prove their point by constructing a larger than kid-sized, "whimsical" animal sculpture in a public happening from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM Sunday, February 19 at the Meeting House in Oakland Mills (Columbia, MD). The husband and wife sculptors from Catonsville, whose imaginative assemblages are featured in exhibitions and private collections, are intent on putting to use all the toys children turn in February 18 and 19 as part of Howard County's first "Violent Toy Turn-In." "The sculpture will be something a little awesome so the kids will feel good about giving their violent toys away," said Mary Opasik. The art project is the culminating event of "New Ways to Play Day" at the Meeting House at Oakland Mills, where there also will be cooperative games, arts and crafts and clowning during the afternoon event February 19. Children in Howard County will be encouraged to turn in toy weapons and other toys that relate to inappropriate and aggressive play at Learningsmith in the Columbia Mall or Zany Brainy at Snowden Square from 11 AM to 4 PM Saturday, February 18 and at participating religious services the weekend of February 17-19. The "Violent Toy Turn-In" and "New Ways to Play Day" are events initiated by the Columbia United Christian Church (CUCC) with the intent of having children and their parents think seriously about the kinds of toys they purchase and to encourage cooperative play. The two events are among the highlights of "Focus on Peace Week" sponsored by the Howard County Clergy for Social Justice. Mary B. Toth, executive director of the Howard County Arts Council, said Jim and Mary Opasik are "well-regarded artists in the Baltimore region and beyond and it is wonderful that they became involved and are donating their gifts and energy to this project. The sculpture will be an enormous contribution and will be displayed in a variety of places in the county, which widens the impact of the whole project." The Opasiks said they intend to discuss the sculpture project with children at the "New Ways to Play Day" event before undertaking the assemblage. "There will be the sound of drills and zipping sounds as the turned-in toys will be fastened to a steel armature. When it is completed on site that day, it will flow together like Lego blocks," Jim Opasik said. "We will try to show that you can look at these violent toys in a different way. The outcome of our effort will be a creation which will reflect a vision of joy, humor, and inspiration." Children who turn in violent toys will receive Peacemaker rewards provided by Junior Editions (Columbia Mall), Zany Brainy (Snowden Square), Discovery Toys (Tamara Closs), Roy Rogers (Columbia area), The Nature Nook Ellicott City), Learningsmith (Columbia Mall) and McDonald's Dobbin Road). For additional information about the artists, contact the CUCC church office at (410) 730-1770. Last updated |