OIL PAINTINGS BY EWA RESIDENT
ACCEPTED BY MDA ART COLLECTION
"Wave - #10"
by Morris Nakamura |
TUCSON, Ariz., Oct. 10, 2002 - A pair of oil paintings by Morris Nakamura
of Ewa, Hawaii, have been accepted by the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Art Collection. Now
in its 11th year, the Collection features artwork by people from across
the country with neuromuscular diseases.
In "Wave #10," Nakamura invites the viewer to grab a surfboard
and face the daunting challenge of one of Hawaii's trademark waves.
His deft touch depicts the full power of the Pacific Ocean so vividly
that one can almost smell the salty sea water and hear the waves crash.
Nakamura then offers a stark contrast to the fury of high tide with
"Kohala Coast," depicting a much calmer sea at sunset, gently
licking the base of several tall, dramatic cliffs. The viewer experiences
a sensation of quiet reflection.
Nakamura, 52, is affected by spinal
muscular atrophy, a progressive neuromuscular disease that primarily
affects the motor neurons that control the voluntary muscles.
"We're deeply honored to welcome Morris Nakamura's stunning works
into the permanent MDA Art Collection," MDA President & CEO
Robert Ross said. "His contributions to our Collection will undoubtedly
delight all who see them as they travel to galleries and museums as
part of special exhibits of the Collection."
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"Kohala Coast"
by Morris Nakamura |
The new additions by Nakamura 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 currently comprises some 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; Blackhawk Museum, Danville, Calif.;
Fresno Metropolitan Museum; JFK Center at Vanderbilt University, Nashville,
Tenn.; 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
a clinic for area adults and children affected by neuromuscular diseases
at the Castle Medical Center in Kailua, Hawaii.
The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual
private contributors.
