DIGITAL DESIGNS BY CRESTWOOD ARTIST
ACCEPTED BY MDA ART COLLECTION

TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 16, 2003 — A pair of digital designs created by Mark Plocharczyk of Crestwood, Ill., have been accepted by the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Art Collection. Now in its 12th year, the Collection features artwork by people from across the country with neuromuscular diseases.

Plocharczyk's pieces, titled "Pink Flower" and "White Bursts Into Green," feature bright colors in an ethereal blend, underscoring the dichotomy between the abstract human creativity of the artist, and the mathematical precision associated with the computer.

Plocharczyk is a computer programmer/designer, who has enjoyed drawing since he was in the third grade. Information about his company, Ploch Designs, can be found on the Web at www.plochdesigns.com.

"I am most happy when I can blend my computer skills and my creative skills into one activity," he says.

Plocharczyk, 37, is affected by spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which primarily affects the

motor neurons that control the muscles of the body. As a result of his experiences with physical disabilities, Plocharczyk is a frequent public speaker on disability-related topics.

"We're deeply honored to welcome these two fine works by Mark Plocharczyk 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."

The new additions by Plocharczyk 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 clinics for area adults and children affected by neuromuscular diseases at Evanston Hospital in Evanston, Ill., and at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center and University of Chicago Hospitals in Chicago

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