For immediate release: April 24, 2007

BLOOMSBURG — A public lecture and reception will be held for artist Larry Kirkwood’s “The Body Image Project” at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania on Thursday, April 26, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Multicultural Center. The exhibit will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, April 27. Admission is free.

Kirkwood started “The Body Image Project” in 1993 to change the way people look at themselves and perceive others. The exhibit features body casts of real people in all shapes and sizes and attempts to reaffirm the idea of inner beauty. The actual cast impression of Kirkwood’s participants only takes about 20 minutes, but bringing the impression to its finished state involves a month of intensive labor.

According to Kirkwood, the exhibit strives to give a more honest and healthy view of the human body. The project deals with prejudices such as sexism and racism and judgments about height and weight. Through the exhibit, Kirkwood attempts to display the idea of beauty in all shapes and sizes.
For more information about Kirkwood and “The Body Image Project,” visit www.kirkwoodstudios.com. For information on the lecture and reception at BU, contact Faith Warner of the Fireside Series Committee at (570) 389-4334.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Professional Studies, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.