Giant tea cups, person-sized toothbrushes and other specimens seen in every day life are now on display at Alternatives in Whitinsville as part of an exhibition called "Life-Magnified."

The exhibition was developed through Alternatives' art and culture program, which creates opportunities for people with disabilities to make connections they wouldn’t otherwise make. Now on display at Alternatives' Spaulding R. Aldrich Heritage Gallery, the exhibit includes sculpture, photography, paintings and jewelry created by program participants.

The sculptural portion of this exhibit is the result of much planning and collaboration between workshop participants. Unexpected financial restrictions brought about an increased effort to conserve materials.

For this project, materials were gathered from recycle centers, donations from community members and local companies as well as leftover supplies from previous projects. The group truly followed the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" paradigm -- 95 percent of the materials used to create these objects were recycled, reused or donated.

Utilizing this focused approach, participants were asked to choose an item they could magnify. Objects which existed on a large scale in the real world were ruled out. The closed fist of each participant became the measure of whether or not an object could be scaled up.

The results are fun and thought provoking. They are certainly one way to magnify life. Another is to encapsulate that which becomes our life’s passions through more traditional means of photography, painting or through a craft like jewelry making. The scale of the objects may be very different, but the scale of their significance within each individual’s life is the same.

The magnification project is just one of the activities run by Alternatives’ Art and Culture Program. The Art Exploration Workshop was developed in conjunction with Creative Communications Art Studio of Leicester. Owner/Instructor Monique Pappas has guided participants through fun and unique uses of a variety of mediums for over three years.

Life - Magnified: Sculpture, Photography, Paintings and Jewelry runs through March 28. The Spaulding R. Aldrich Heritage Gallery is located at Alternatives' Whitin Mill, 50 Douglas Road, Whitinsville. The exhibit is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. For more information call (508) 266– 6502.