MDA Art Collection Celebrates 10 Years of Imagination Without Barriers
 "Sunflowers"
Jennifer Pattison
Grafton, VA |
TUCSON, Ariz., April 2, 2002 — It all started in 1992, when Andrew Cameron of Fort Worth, Texas, donated a three-dimensional creation called "Amusement Park" to the Muscular Dystrophy Association's new headquarters building in Tucson. Cameron, who has Becker muscular dystrophy, was 9 years old when he created the colorful, 21-by-27-inch construction paper collage.
The MDA Art Collection is celebrating 10 years of demonstrating what Cameron's donation clearly depicted: that physical disability is no barrier to creativity.
"The art created by the brilliant and talented people represented in our Collection is a source of inspiration to all of us," MDA President & CEO Robert Ross said. "The Collection not only stands on its own artistic merit, but it also serves to underscore the creativity of people with disabilities and the indomitable spirit of those we serve."
Ross conceived of the idea for a collection of artwork by people served by MDA both as a means of adding visual interest to MDA's building and as a way to showcase the talents of artists who have neuromuscular diseases.
In its first 10 years, the Collection has grown to comprise more than 270 pieces, representing all 50 states. During that time, pieces from the Collection have been seen and admired by millions, via exhibits in many cities; MDA notecards, holiday cards and calendars; and national and local media features.
The artwork ranges from watercolors to oil paintings, from photographs to mixed media and computer graphics, and from sketches to sculptures.
And the artists, whose ages range from 2 to 82, vary as much as the artwork, though they all have one thing in common: Each is affected by one of the 40-plus neuromuscular diseases in the MDA program.
Adult artists — both established professionals and talented amateurs — created nearly 60 percent of the pieces donated to the Collection. Many of them discovered their artistic abilities only after receiving the diagnosis of a neuromuscular disease, while others have made careers of art.
The pieces created by children also differ greatly — from individual self-portraits to elaborate group projects. The latter include pieces created at MDA art workshops led by such prominent artists as Milda Vizbar of New York (who has also donated her own work to the Collection), marine life artist Wyland of Hawaii and New York 3-D artist Charles Fazzino. Fazzino is an MDA national vice president.
During the past 10 years, selected works from the Collection have been exhibited at museums and art galleries across the country. Exhibits have been held at such prestigious venues as the Dallas Museum of Art, Cork Gallery at Lincoln Center and Forbes Magazine Galleries in New York.
Works from the Collection have also appeared at the Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center; Los Angeles Children's Museum; Capital Children's Museum, Washington; and the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, Mich.
Daniel Dunn, director of the Blackhawk Museum of Danville, Calif., commented, "When people ask me about this collection, I just say that not only is it a wonderful collection, but it's been in some of the best art museums in the country." The Blackhawk Museum recently held its second exhibit of works from the MDA Collection.
"We had such a good reaction from our visitors for the original exhibition in '94 that we were just really excited to do it again," Dunn said.
Examples from the Collection can be seen on MDA's Web site.
MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education.
The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.
