Artist-activist Dominic Esposito, left, speaks during his presentation of The Opioid Spoon Project to the Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord May 19, 2019.
Holly Martin, left, watches as her husband Glenn Martin, both of Northwood, signs a spoon sculpture in memory of their daughter, Haley Martin, during the Opioid Spoon Project presentation by artist-activist Dominic Esposito, not pictured, during a visit to the Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord May 19, 2019.
Audrey Turchick, of Chelmsford, Mass., signs a spoon sculpture in memory of a friend as part of the Opioid Spoon Project by artist-activist Dominic Esposito, not pictured, during a visit to the Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord May 19, 2019.
Artist-activist Dominic Esposito, left, speaks during his presentation of The Opioid Spoon Project to the Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord May 19, 2019.
MARK BOLTON/UNION LEADER
Artist-activist Dominic Esposito, left, speaks during his presentation of The Opioid Spoon Project to the Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord May 19, 2019.
MARK BOLTON/UNION LEADER
Holly Martin, left, watches as her husband Glenn Martin, both of Northwood, signs a spoon sculpture in memory of their daughter, Haley Martin, during the Opioid Spoon Project presentation by artist-activist Dominic Esposito, not pictured, during a visit to the Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord May 19, 2019.
CONCORD — Holly Martin watched as her husband Glenn grabbed a marker, leaned in, and added their daughter’s name to the hundreds of others written on the large, metal spoon outside the Kimball Jenkins School of Art Sunday afternoon.
As Glenn wrote a message in memory of Haley Rae Martin — who died of a heroin overdose in October, 2012 at just 19 years of age — Holly dabbed tears from her eyes and cheeks.
“It’s been almost seven years,” said Holly. “Every time I think it might get easier. It doesn’t.”
Boston artist Domenic Esposito brought his 10-foot-long, 800-pound metal opioid spoon sculpture to the Granite State Sunday, parked outside the main building of the Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord as part of a multi-state tour.
Esposito, whose brother has struggled with drug addiction for more than a decade, said he created the spoon to draw attention to those responsible for the epidemic. He created a similar spoon and put it outside Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin, in June of 2018.
Audrey Turchick, of Chelmsford, Mass., signs a spoon sculpture in memory of a friend as part of the Opioid Spoon Project by artist-activist Dominic Esposito, not pictured, during a visit to the Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord May 19, 2019.
MARK BOLTON/UNION LEADER
Esposito said his latest spoon sculpture is not just a form of protest, but also a way for people to heal. Esposito said the spoon was created “to memorialize those who have lost their opioid addiction battles” and the tour designed “to provide individuals in each location with the opportunity to personally sign the spoon to honor the memory of loved ones lost.”
“The tour is about reaching the community at large,” said Esposito. “We wanted a sense of reconnecting with people, and decided to turn it into a memorial and not have those people forgotten. This sense of remembering and not forgetting people lost to this epidemic.”
The tour has gone through Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and now New Hampshire, and will continue through June 6.
Esposito said the stories he hears at each stop along the tour from those affected by the opioid epidemic stay with him.
“The pain and the anguish these people have been through ... I can’t even explain it,” said Esposito. “When I started this, I didn’t know it was going to be this difficult. It’s hard not to get teary-eyed when there’s a family with four kids signing dad’s name, and mom signing it ... you can’t make this stuff up. There’s a reason I wear dark glasses all the time. It breaks your heart.”
Audrey Turchick drove up from Massachusetts to sign the spoon. Originally from Cincinnati, Turchick said her home state of Ohio has been hit hard by opioids. She said a friend of her sister overdosed and died in her apartment.
Audrey Turchick, of Chelmsford, Mass., signs a spoon sculpture in memory of a friend as part of the Opioid Spoon Project by artist-activist Dominic Esposito, not pictured, during a visit to the Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord May 19, 2019.
MARK BOLTON/UNION LEADER
“My sister found him in the middle of the night, and he had already passed away,” said Turchick. “I can’t even fathom having to go through something like that, and it’s something that tens of thousands of people go through on a daily basis. I followed (Esposito’s) story, and I wish there were more people like that speaking up. Some people just want to sweep it under the rug, and we need to talk about it.”
Kimberley and Darren Whitmore of Epsom said they have a son who is battling addiction.
“I signed it for a friend of mine who lost a brother,” said Kimberley Whitmore. “It’s horrible. There have been so many losses. My niece has lost a few friends. It hits hard, even the kids I don’t know. It’s painful.”
“My brother has been dealing with addiction for about 12 years, and it’s something that not only affects him, it affects the entire family,” said Esposito. “I usually don’t recite quotes but this one is important to me because it’s kind of what gets me out of bed in the morning and it’s the last thing I tell myself when I go to sleep at night. ‘You will face many defeats in your life, but never let yourself be defeated.’ I’m so honored by everyone coming today.”
