Art for heart's sake
Painting workshop leads up to Body Positive art show
By Matthew Heil
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EXCLUSIVE REPORTS Sculptor uses art to dispel violence Anne Robertson The Business Journal A sculpture slated for downtown Phoenix and a blossoming education program set for national growth defines Robert Miley's vision that art can dispel violence. Please click here to read the full story.

RELEASE THE FEAR BREAKS GROUND FOR MONUMENTAL SCULPTURE IN CENTRAL PHOENIX

July 3, 2003

The first phase of construction for the Release the Fear sculpture will begin with a marking off of the lot at Sweet Acacia Park, Tuesday, July 8, 2003, at 8:30 a.m. The marking of the site will be conducted by the City of Phoenix Transit Department by direction of Deputy City Manager Jack Tevlin.

The land for the sculpture was donated by the City of Phoenix but had originally set a deadline of June 2003 for the sculpture to be completed. The site is along the route of the planned light rail.

The location is the intersection of N. Central Avenue and Roosevelt Street, Phoenix. The sculpture, the vision of artist Robert Miley, is a twenty-two foot tall work to be constructed of melted weapons used in crimes. It will depict a human figure rising upward, arms to the heavens, in a symbol of transformation and empowerment. Near the bottom of the sculpture, actual parts of guns, knives and other deadly weapons, will be visible.

“The sculpture is a touchstone for those who realize the danger that violence in our society poses for our future,” said Miley, who began working on the project in 1995.

Kitchell Contractors has agreed to donate the base and foundation for the sculpture. In all, some $150,000 is being raised to subsidize the cost of construction.

Mary Almassy of Fund Raising Consultants, Ltd. has been retained by Release the Fear to procure funding. Fund Raising Consultants, Ltd. has established Release the Fears over all project and operational budget at one million dollars with a projected goal of two million dollars as Release the Fear launches its National Campaign from Phoenix, Arizona.

The Very Reverend Rebecca McClain is dean of Trinity Cathedral, which is adjacent to the sculpture site. Dean McClain, who also serves on the Release the Fear board of directors, said: “Part of the vision of the church is as a place of hospitality for the community. If we cannot open our doors and be free of fear, we can’t extend our hospitality. This sculpture represents us setting free our fears.”

The Release the Fear project is not just about a sculpture. It has an educational component, as well. R.J. Shannon, a state social worker and Release the Fear vice chair, developed a series of workshops and programs that target mostly young people whose lives have been influenced by violence and intimidation. The workshops help participants realize a sense of empowerment by learning about their own fears, expressing and facing them, with the desired outcome of a new awareness about the choices available to them. The workshops endeavor to show that picking up a gun or knife to resolve conflict only increases conflict.

Saturday March 15 /03 held at A.P.S. Phoenix, 48 Valley Leadership Teens &12 adults, comprised of Community leaders, Teachers from Paradise Valley school district & a PHX. P.D. officer, were lead in the Master class workshop conducted by Release the Fear & its volunteers. Through Awareness and Communication a Masterpiece Emerged. WITNESS the healing power of Education through Art!

Phoenix Police Officer Phil Simpson commented that they do not offer this kind of program at the academy and he thinks they should.

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Sculpting a peaceful plan
Melted weapons will form symbol
The Arizona Republic
February 13, 2003
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Thank you to the news media, we are proud to tell you that all of the TV coverage as well as interviews can be seen here at our site for your viewing pleasure.

Click here to view TV coverage about Release The Fear

Turning guns into art - David Gonzales, a commander with the Department of Public Safety , and Donna Neill, director of NAILEM, a neighborhood advocacy group, look over confiscated guns that will be melted and made into sculptural symbol by Robert J. Miley for the Release the Fear project.  Click here to see the Arizona Republic photo.

Special note of one article that appeared on the front cover of the Arizona Republic in 1999.  Notable because it is a good news story on the front page.  This is more than signs hope for youth to see that good news about what they do gets attention also.  Click here to read the full text.

One of the first articles appeared right as the city of Phoenix had convened the Random Gunfire Task Force.  This article which appeared in the fall of 1995 shows how in the beginning, the weapons issue was first perceived as a gun issue.  Fortunately, over the years the public has learned to trust the fact that this is in fact a weapon issue, not a gun issue.  Click here to read article.

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Conflict RESOLUTION through the POWER OF ART

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