FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NY ARTIST CREATES LADY LIBERTY WIELDING A LIGHTSABER
Star Wars Art Auction by NYLine Benefits Kids as Jedi Lady Liberty Hits eBay

NEW YORK, NY (May 1, 2005) -- May the force be with you, the force of eBay that is. With the upcoming release of "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" set to open in theaters May 19, Star Wars collectibles are being bought at warped speed.

One of the most interesting and unusual items just listed on eBay is the sculpture of the New York’s famed Statue of Liberty wielding a light saber, created entirely out of LEGO® bricks, the sale of which will benefit the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation.

LEGO and George Lucas’ Star Wars brands have enjoyed a longstanding business partnership, but this one-of-a-kind blending of the two pop-culture phenomenons was created by New York City artist Nathan Sawaya.

The unique sculpture was commissioned by a nonprofit organization, NYLine, which organizes "Star Wars" devotees in New York to take shifts standing in line for 19-consecutive days to be the first to see the final film in Lucas' space saga.

Recently on display at the Celebration III Star Wars Fan Fest in Indianapolis, the Jedi Lady Liberty LEGO statue measures 40 inches tall and 13 inches wide at her base. She is built from more than 2,500 standard pieces and is entirely glued together for durability.

Created exclusively for NYLine's auction benefiting Starlight, Sawaya was inspired by NYLine’s distinctive logo of the Statue of Liberty.

"It was my intention to capture the essence of the New York-based organization as well as their love for everything Star Wars that led to Lady Liberty wielding a lightsaber," Sawaya writes on his website www.brickartist.com. “Creating unique works of art is my passion, creating them to benefit the care and well-being of sick children is an honor.”

The 300 NYLine participants will raise money and awareness for Starlight by spending time in shifts at the Ziegfeld Theater and finding sponsors to pledge donations for every hour NYLine members spend on the sidewalk. The NYLine Stand-A-Thons in 1999 and 2002 raised more than $33,000 for Starlight. This year’s eBay auction is expected to surpass previous year’s results.

“It was the combination of an equal love for Star Wars and our home town of New York that drew us together,” said Amit Saxena, NYLine organizer. “In order to best capture the essence of these two passions, Nathan looked to our logo of the Statue of Liberty wielding a lightsaber, and created a stunning sculpture that will be donated for our online auction.”

Opening bid on the Jedi LEGO Lady Liberty is $500 and the bidding closes May 10, 2005 at 19:00:00 PDT.
To bid on Jedi Lady Liberty:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5972367051

For more photos of Jedi Lady Liberty :
http://www.nyline.org/gallery/legoliberty/

For more info on NYLine:
http://www.nyline.org/article.asp?id=228

Starlight Children's Foundation is an international non-profit organization dedicated to brightening the lives of seriously ill children and their families. Starlight accomplishes their mission by working with children ages 4-18 who suffer from a wide range of critical, chronic, or life threatening illnesses. Each year, Starlight's programs help to bring laughter and smiles to over 200,000 seriously ill children throughout New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Media contacts:
Suzanne Sousa, NYLine Organizer & PR Director:
917-545-3370, prprincess@nyline.org
Nathan Sawaya, artist, info@brickartist.com