800-Pound Opioid Spoon Coming To Cambridge City Hall

CAMBRIDGE, MA — An 800 lb metal spoon bent back and burned, made to look like a giant spoon used for opioids, will be at City Hall Saturday for two hours this Saturday. It's part of Boston based artist-activist and founder of The Opioid Spoon Project, Domenic Esposito's multi-city tour to display his latest sculpture and allow those who have lost loved ones to opioids to sign the spoon.

The Honor Tour, as he's dubbed it, will make stops in about a dozen cities after it leaves Cambridge, including in 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 Purdue Pharma, Rhodes Pharma and the FDA, which he said were responsible for the opioid crisis.

This time, Esposito said he wanted to provide an opportunity for the public to see the spoon first-hand and allow participants to show how opioids make a mark, by signing the sculpture.

"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 said in a release, "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 Honor Tour will officially kick-off on Saturday, May 11 9 a.m. at the "Remembering Our Angels" 5K run in Marlborough, followed by a 3 p.m. event sponsored by the City of Cambridge at the steps of City Hall. There, Mayor Marc McGovern is set to give some remarks.

“The opioid epidemic crosses all demographics and has claimed the lives of too many of our family members and friends," said McGovern in an emailed statement. "It is important that we take time to remember the names of those we have lost so that we don’t lose sight of the true cost of the epidemic, and to ensure we continue to work toward ending this crisis. I’m glad that the Opioid Spoon Project honor tour will make its first stop in our city—Cambridge is a hub for biotechnology and innovation, let us also be a place for healing and compassion.”

The spoon's final destination will be Philadelphia on June 8.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).