Events

Join us on January 27, 2022 for a panel discussion on the healing and therapeutic power of art, featuring Domenic Esposito, artist and activist; Dr. Antonella Pirone, Director of Translational Pharmacology at Caesura Tx, SLP fellow; and Alicia Ventura, Director of Special Projects & Research at the Boston Medical Center’s Office Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT) Program. Speakers will share their personal and professional insights on how art—as a creative process and outlet—can catalyze positive change in one’s wellbeing.

Co-sponsored by Italian Professionals of Boston (PIB), this event is free and open to the public, a registration is required by using the form on this page (from mobile, scroll down to the bottom to find the registration form)

This panel discussion is part of Domenic’s solo exhibition, Vox Clamantis, which runs from January 7-30 at Piano Craft Gallery in Boston.

About the speakers:

Domenic Esposito is a Massachusetts-based artist and social activist. A graduate of Northeastern University, he was also trained in art from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Stonybrook Fine Arts, Artist Asylum, and Prospect Hill Forge, where he developed his metalwork skills. Considered a sculptor first, he continues to refine his craft with deliberate vocabulary borrowed from the Italian Renaissance period, as well as his own personal cultivation of Asian culture and principles. In 2018, he achieved national attention through the massive opioid spoon sculptures he placed on the doorsteps of the FDA and major pharmaceutical giants, and founded The Opioid Spoon Project, a 501(c)(3) to serve as a solution-based platform that seeks legal justice and brings voice to the devastation of opioid addiction.

Domenic’s work includes sculptures, paintings, commissions, and public art installations, and has been privately collected and exhibited in a range of galleries and art fairs across the U.S., including Canvas Fine Arts, Boston; Piano Craft Gallery, Boston; Insight Artspace, NY; Scope, NYC; Art Palm Beach; and SOFA Chicago Art Fair, among others. In 2019, his work Accountability won ‘Best in Show’ at the Arts Benicia Juried Show in California. He also completed a prestigious artist residency at Mana Contemporary, which lead to his print work with legendary Gary Lichtenstein. To learn more, follow on Facebook and Instagram.

Antonella Pirone is a neuroscientist by training and currently serves as Director of Pharmacology for a newly funded biotech. She is committed to researching and developing new medicines to help address the unmet needs of patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders and their families. Her recent work has helped to advance a new molecule into clinical trials for treatment of neurodegenerative and neurological disorders.

Born and raised in Italy, she moved to Boston in 2010 and has served for several years as executive manager of Professionisti Italiani a Boston (Italian Professionals of Boston). During the COVID-19 pandemic, she started her artistic journey creating acrylic and oil artwork, which has served as a therapeutic and communicative tool. For more on Antonella’s art, please visit here.

Alicia Ventura is the Director of Special Projects and Research for the Office Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program at Boston Medical Center, overseeing all research and evaluation activities for the OBAT Clinic and OBAT TTA Program. Alicia has over 15 years of experience conducting public health and clinical research. She is a member of nine active study teams, including in several as a site or study principal investigator, and she has published on a variety of topics including reproductive health, HIV, alcohol and drug use, and family members impacted by substance use. Alicia received her Master’s in Community Public Health from New York University.

This event is in compliance with the City of Boston’s COVID mandates. As of January 15, 2022, “individuals must show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to enter certain indoor spaces” and all staff/attendees must wear masks and face coverings, to stay healthy and safe. For more information, go to the City of Boston website.