Michael Poole, who owns Blue Collar Artisans in Easthampton discusses two of his major art projects, one whimsical, one serious, which were the subject of a recent Advocate cover story. Since the spring, Poole has been arranging Playmobile toys to make small scenes around his community and taking photos of the results. At the same time, he has been constructing and welding a six-foot sphere of nearly 15,000 metal washers, each of which represents a victim of gun violence over the past year.

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