PAINTING BY HARRINGTON ARTIST ACCEPTED BY MDA ART COLLECTION

TUCSON, Ariz., September 10, 2001 - A drawing by Joshua B. Bee of Harrington, Del., has been accepted by the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Art Collection. The Collection features artwork by people from across the country with neuromuscular diseases.

Bee's "Solitude Over the Shaded Village" was drawn with a mechanical pencil and sets the stage for a novel that Bee is writing. The village is home to the book's principal character, and the drawing depicts a favorite place to reflect and gather with friends. A sword in the drawing represents a monument to a cousin of the main character.

Bee, 21, is affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disorder characterized by progressive wasting and weakness of the voluntary muscles. Duchenne is the most common childhood form of muscular dystrophy. Bee uses a power wheelchair.

"Solitude Over the Shaded Village" by Joshua Bee

Bee began drawing about eight years ago. In addition to drawing and writing, the Harrington youth enjoys movies and a wide variety of music.

"We're honored to have such a fascinating and evocative drawing by Joshua Bee in the permanent MDA Art Collection," said MDA President Robert Ross. "His contribution to our Collection will undoubtedly delight all who see it as it travels to galleries and museums as part of special exhibits of the Collection."

The new addition by Bee will be exhibited at MDA's national headquarters in Tucson, Ariz., and 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 260 works by artists ages 2 to 82 and represents 48 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; University of California-Berkeley and Fresno Metropolitan Museum; Duluth Art Institute; Capitol 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 area adults and children affected by neuromuscular diseases at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington and Johns Hopkins University and Maryland General Hospital in Baltimore.

The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.