‘The Mannequin Project' continues through Aug. 20

Warwick - “The Mannequin Project: People’s Impact on the Environment” will be on display at the Masonic Temple building at 14-15 Main St. in the Village of Warwick from now until Aug. 20. The space will be open to the public from noon until 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and by appointment by contacting the Warwick Arts Festival at www.warwickarts.org. The Mannequin Project is a unique community sculpture exhibit that was displayed around the Town of Warwick during the Warwick Summer Arts Festival. The project, an inspiration of local artist Charlie DeCesare, involves the transformation and re-creation of more than 35 mannequins by area artists on the theme of “people’s impact on the environment.” The artists’ ideas ranged from “Ms. Global Warming” to a grafiti-covered figure to a butterfly woman. The range, depth and beauty of the collection prompted an outpouring of requests to extend the length of the exhibit. There are plans in the works to tour them to other communities nationally. Heidi Lanino Bilezikian and Janet Howard-Fatta titled their mannequin, “The Oracle.” “The creative process led us to a quiet approach to our mannequin. She became a symbol of hope, a sound, a quiet contemplation with self,” the artists said in a press release. “Representing our earth, this oracle is a source of divine communication, of truth, beauty, destruction and the hope of transformation of spirit.” The contemporary molded mannequins in various poses were donated to the Arts Festival by Dressbarn Inc., the woman’s apparel company located in Suffern. The gallery space was generously donated by the building’s owner, Bruce Zaretsky.