ARTWORK BY CALIFORNIA ARTIST
ACCEPTED INTO MDA ART COLLECTION
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“Grand Cayman Archway” |
TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 13, 2005 – A digital painting by a Benicia,
Calif., artist has been accepted by the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Art Collection. Now in its 14th year,
the Collection features artwork by people from across the country with neuromuscular diseases.
“Grand Cayman Archway” by Michael Bougher is a charming
digital painting that uses brown, tan and blue hues to capture the serene
setting of the ocean and sky off in the distance via the archway. Bougher
carefully uses the shadowed archway to accentuate the simple beauty
of the ocean and skyline.
Bougher, 41, worked as a process control system designer and project
manager before increasing physical challenges forced him to retire in
2002.
He received a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease, which affects parts
of the nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement and cause
muscles to become weak and then nonfunctional. Bougher uses a power
wheelchair for mobility, and he has lost the use of his arms and legs.
Bougher uses his computer to create photo-realistic digital paintings
from scratch. Since he can no longer use his arms, Bougher uses a head
pointer and a switch near his cheek to click the mouse button.
Visitors to his Web site, www.mikebougher.com, can enjoy Bougher’s
collection of original, digital paintings. The site also features the
artist’s personal anecdotes about living with ALS.
“We’re deeply honored to welcome Michael Bougher’s
work into the permanent MDA Art Collection,” MDA President &
CEO Robert Ross said. “His contribution to our Collection will
delight all who see it as it travels to galleries and museums as part
of special exhibits of the Collection.”
The new addition by Bougher is on display at MDA’s national headquarters
in Tucson, Ariz., and can be seen at www.mda.org/commprog/art/displayall.aspx.
Bougher’s piece also will be included in MDA Art Collection traveling
exhibits. The Collection was established in 1992 to focus attention
on the achievements of artists with disabilities and to emphasize that
physical disability is no barrier to creativity.
The permanent Collection comprises more than 300 works by artists aged 2 to 82 and represents all 50 states. Each artist is affected by
one of the neuromuscular diseases in the MDA program.
Selected art from the Collection has been exhibited at the Dallas Museum
of Art; Cork Gallery at Lincoln Center and Forbes Magazine Galleries
in New York; Tucson Museum of Art; Bishop Museum in Honolulu; Chicago
Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center; Fort Lauderdale Museum
of Art; Los Angeles Children’s Museum; JFK Center at Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, Tenn.; Fresno Metropolitan Museum; Duluth Art
Institute; Capital Children’s Museum, Washington, D.C.; and the
Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, Mich.
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. MDA maintains clinics for Bay Area adults
and children affected by neuromuscular diseases at the University of
California-San Francisco Medical Center/Children’s Hospital and
the California Pacific Medical Center, home of the Forbes Norris MDA/ALS
Research Center, in San Francisco.
The Association’s programs are funded almost entirely by individual
private contributors.
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