In Cooperation With The Amtrak Fraternal Order Of Police, The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Contributes First Weapons To Campaign
Press Release – NEW YORK, NY – December 21, 2016 – Lin Evola, founder and artist of the anti-violence arts initiative, the Peace Angels Project today announces that Blue Lives Matter NYC has joined the Project’s nationwide call for street weapons. Evola will melt down decommissioned weapons provided to law enforcement and government officials to create large scale sculptures and paintings, turning once destructive material into art that inspires hope and peace. Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell, in cooperation with the Amtrak Fraternal Order of Police, provided the first initial donation to the Peace Angels Project’s USA Weapons Destruction Campaign.
“Our organization is proud to support the Peace Angels Project in its effort to empower others to rise above violence, and create a better world,” said Joseph Imperatrice, president of Blue Lives Matter NYC. “We honor the NYPD officers who lost their lives protecting our city, and join Lin Evola in solidarity as she inspires others through the power of art.”
The Peace Angels Project will collect over two million decommissioned weapons, to be melted down and transformed into 64-foot Peace Angel monuments to stand tall in New York City and Los Angeles. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is exploring the possibility of siting the Los Angeles Peace Angel monument in her district.
Blue Lives Matter NYC will utilize its law enforcement network across the country to encourage further weapons donations. They are joined by the Amtrak Fraternal Order of Police, as well as the LASD, LAPD and NYPD to gather the necessary metal. Additional donations of weapons are being sought through the United Nations. For the past eight years, Evola has served at the United Nations Biennial Meetings of Small Arms and Light Weapons, and the Arms Trade Treaty.
Since the inception of the Peace Angels Project in 1992, Evola’s extensive collection of drawings, paintings and sculptures have served one purpose: to express our responsibility as humans to create a better world, encouraging compassion and unity through the power of art. In her running series “Leonardo’s Flowers,” Evola uses weapon metal as a painting medium on paper and canvas. In her latest project, “The Reflection Series” Evola collaborated with renowned photographer Udo Spreitzenbarth to develop large scale portraits of influential philanthropists. The series employs a cutting-edge technology known as sputtering, which transforms the titanium of street weapons and nuclear missiles at the molecular level into supermirrors.
“Inspired to take action following years of gun violence throughout America, I created the Project to stimulate thought and awaken us to rise up and build a legacy of peace in our time,” said Peace Angels Project founder, Lin Evola. “I am honored to receive the support of Blue Lives Matter NYC as we move forward with our call for weapons nationwide.”
The Peace Angels Project Fund, the nonprofit, charity component of the Peace Angels Project, led by Executive Director Sharon Ullman, will provide an opportunity for supporters of the Project’s anti-violence movement to provide a tax deductible donation to its cause.
For additional information on Lin Evola and t\he Peace Angels Project, please visit: www.paxangeli.com
About the Peace Angels Project
Founded by American contemporary artist, Lin Evola, the Peace Angels Project is conceptual art with a powerful message: expressing our responsibility as humans to create a better world. By using melted down street weapons and the stainless steel core of decommissioned missiles to create large scale sculptures, paintings and drawings that are powerful images of compassion and unity, the Peace Angels Project permanently transforms these weapons of mass destruction into life-affirming symbols of peace.
Blue Lives Matter NYC
Blue Lives Matter NYC is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created to help Law Enforcement Officers and their families during their time of need. Members of the organization are both police officers and members from other state and federal agencies that are dedicated to making a difference and demonstrating that “BLUE LIVES MATTER.”
