Garibaldi-Meucci Museum Presents Il Circo, 4/14

Ladies and Gentleman, and Children of all ages...the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum presents, on Saturday, April 14, from 2-5 pm, the opening of "Il Circo" ("The Circus")-an exhibition of "Recycled Material Sculptures," peopled by whimsical characters created by Staten Island artist Larry DiSalvo from a pile of junk.

In conjunction with Earth Day, on Sunday, April 22 at 1 p.m., DiSalvo will also present "One Man's Trash...." Geared toward children of all ages, he will show the audience boxes of commonly discarded items and ask what they might make from them. He will then reveal the phantasmagorical treasures he was inspired to create from someone else's garbage.

A self-taught artist, DiSalvo says he learned how to paint by watching Bob Ross's TV show, "The Joy of Painting." He began making his exotic creations in 2001: "At a particular moment, I was struck by a creative impulse but had no art supplies at my disposal. I collected from my recycle and trash bins a wire hanger, a coffee can, a chopstick, some plastic, cord and a little paint and made an implausible maritime sculpture and called it 'Boat.'"

Now, with contributions from a friend who works for the Department of Sanitation, as well as broken dishes, tin can lids and plastic he salvages from his own trash and occasional forays to the curb, he has plenty of raw material. He then gets the inspiration for his surreal characters from the objects themselves: "I see them right away... I looked at a tea pot and saw a lady's face lurking out and made 'The Fat Lady.'" Once his eccentrics are assembled, DiSalvo paints them in exuberent colors.

"Il Circo" will contain ten of DiSalvo's carnivalesque characters-from The Plate Spinners, The Tight Rope Walker and The Juggler to The Fat Lady, Il Pagliacci and even Emmett Kelly-whose fantastic colors bring to mind the exotic quirky characters of Cirque du Soleil.

DiSalvo hopes to inspire others to see the world differently: "It's fun to take something that should be thrown in the trash and make something from it, to make it alive. And when kids see my sculptures they love them, and come back and show me things that they make."

The artist's reception for "Il Circo," on Saturday, April 14, is free. Admission to "One Man's Trash..." on Sunday, April 22 at 1 p.m., is $10, members $5, and includes a light reception. Following the opening, "Il Circo" may be viewed during regular museum hours, with paid museum admission, until July 11, 2012.

For more information, visit www.garibaldimeuccimuseum.org or call 718-442-1608. The historic Italian landmark on Staten Island, the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum is owned and administered by the Order Sons of Italy in America.