A.G. EDWARDS TO HOST MDA ART EXHIBIT

TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 19, 2003 — The northwest Tucson office of A.G. Edwards and Sons will display 30 selected works of art from the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Art Collection. The exhibit, called Transcending Barriers: Selections from the MDA Art Collection, will begin Nov. 24 and run through Feb.1.

The Collection features artwork by children and adults across the country who challenge the obstacles imposed by neuromuscular diseases. The exhibit will consist of seven pieces created by young artists and 23 works by adult artists. The works include traditional oils, acrylics, watercolors and photographs, as well as unusual artistic media such as finger-paints, woodblock prints and computer-generated art.

A.G. Edwards, one of the nation’s largest investment firms, has served Tucson for more than 30 years. The company maintains a client-first philosophy of financial consulting.
The exhibit will be at the A.G. Edwards office at 7630 N. Oracle Road, and will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For directions or more information about the exhibit, call (520) 297-2521.

“It’s a great honor to have a portion of our Collection on display at A.G. Edwards,” MDA President & CEO Robert Ross said. “We’re inspired by the talented children and adults who have contributed to the Collection and delighted to share their remarkable works with the people of Tucson.”

A.G. Edwards Vice President of Investments Tom DuPlain said, “We support the goals and programs of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and are proud to exhibit selected works from the Association’s outstanding Art Collection.”

The Collection’s permanent home is MDA’s national headquarters in Tucson. Samples of the Collection can also be seen at www.mda.org/commprog/art. 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 Collection currently comprises some 300 works by artists aged 2 to 82 and represents all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Each artist is affected by one of the neuromuscular diseases in the MDA program.

Selected art from the Collection has been exhibited at the Art Museum of Western Virginia in Roanoke; 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 the Mucio F. Delgado Clinic at the University of Arizona Medical Center serving area adults and children affected by neuromuscular diseases.

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