Artist's Opioid Spoon Tour Kicks Off In Marlborough

MARLBOROUGH, MA — An 800 lb metal spoon will be in Marlborough, serving as a statement about the opioid epidemic. The artist behind the sculpture, Domenic Esposito, is taking the sculpture on a multi-city tour starting in Marlborough on Saturday.

The Honor Tour will make stops in numerous states, to include Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York and Rhode Island.

Esposito garnered national attention for his massive spoon sculptures created to look like a burnt opioid spoon and placing them at the doorsteps of the architects he deems responsible for the opioid crisis, including Purdue Pharma, Rhodes Pharma and the FDA.

The Honor Tour, an idea developed by Esposito, was born from his desire to engage on a personal level with opioid stricken communities, and in his determination to provide an opportunity for the public to see the spoon first-hand, and allow participants to leave their mark in remembrance by signing the sculpture. Esposito created an 800 lb opioid spoon specifically for the tour and unlike his "protests" spoon sculptures that include an engraved moniker, such as "FDA," the Honor Tour spoon is an intentionally blank canvas. "The outreach from the opioid community has been overwhelming and humbling from those who have been affected, so I decided I wanted to meet these amazing people first hand, and wanted to share a spoon created specifically to pay homage." Esposito states, "The Honor Tour is my way of giving back, and to further acknowledge those who have been devastated by the opioid crisis, and to personally let them know I grieve with them, and do what I do for them."

The multi-state excursions will encompass two-hour stops in each city, allowing members of the public to view and sign the spoon. The Honor Tour will officially kick-off on Saturday, May 11 at 9:00 a.m. at the Team Sharing's "Remembering Our Angels" 5K run in Marlborough, followed by a 3:00 p.m. event sponsored by the City of Cambridge at the steps of City Hall to feature a presentation by the Mayor of Cambridge, Marc C. McGovern. The spoon's final destination will be Philadelphia, PA on June 8th.