Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno will greet the installation of a dramatic new sculpture celebrating disability awareness at Tower Square on Wednesday, September 5 at 12:30 p.m. “We’re delighted that Mayor Sarno will help us welcome James Kitchen’s new creation,” said Lois Brown, director of the Home Sweet Home program at Stavros Center for Independent Living. “This is a wonderful sign of the Mayor’s and Springfield’s commitment to full participation in the community by persons with disabilities.”
Mr. Kitchen, whose intriguing sculptures are displayed at a number of locations in downtown Springfield, credits the Home Sweet Home program for his newest effort. “I was so impressed with how they change lives by building ramps and getting equipment to people in need,” he said. “I was able to take some of the equipment Stavros couldn’t use – mostly wheelchairs and crutches – and make something that shows the hopes and possibilities of persons with disabilities.”
Mayor Sarno is enthusiastic about the sculpture and the theme. “We welcome another James Kitchen work to downtown Springfield,” he said. “We’re proud of our city’s commitment to a community that is open to everyone, and we’re delighted with this powerful reminder of the hopes and aspirations of persons with disabilities.”
The sculpture is 8 feet high and 8 feet wide, and is a real “eye-catcher,” said Brown. “Everyone who sees it is taken with its use of materials and its energy. We hope that this creation helps people connect with our work of promoting independence and access in our communities for persons with disabilities,” she added.
Stavros serves more than 6,000 persons with disabilities each year in the Pioneer Valley – 2,000 of them in Springfield. The sculpture is supported by PeoplesBank, Agawam Medical Supplies, and Service Employees International Union, Local 1199. People can follow the sculpture project on the Stavros Facebook page and at www.stavros.org .
Attached see video and photos of James Kitchen, and the sculpture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exxwajtRb-I&feature=youtu.be