ARTWORK BY TEMECULA ARTIST ACCEPTED INTO MDA ART COLLECTION

TUCSON, Ariz., Oct. 6, 2009 – Two computer creations by artist Thomas L. Nelson of Temecula, Calif., have been accepted into the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Art Collection. Now in its 17th year, the Collection features artwork by people from across the country with muscular dystrophy and related diseases.

Orphan

Nelson’s “Orphan” is a depiction of an AIDS orphan from Southern Uganda. “Ballerina 2” is a study of human form, gesture and movement. Nelson, 66, uses assistive technology and his computer to draw lines and connect vector points by blinking his eyes.

A retired psychology teacher and former musician, Nelson is the owner of Computers4Quads, a nonprofit organization that provides people with disabilities with laptop computers and assistive software.

He received a diagnosis of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2001.

ALS is a disease that, for unknown reasons, strikes healthy adults in the prime of life, gradually paralyzing all voluntary muscles, including those used for breathing and swallowing. Death usually occurs within three to five years of diagnosis.

 “We’re deeply honored to welcome Thomas Nelson’s work into the permanent MDA Art Collection,” MDA President & CEO Gerald Weinberg said. “His contribution to our Collection undoubtedly will delight all who see them as they travel to galleries and museums as part of the Collections’ special exhibits.”         

Ballerina 2

The new additions by Nelson are on display at MDA’s national headquarters in Tucson, Ariz., and can be seen at www.mda.org/commprog/art/displayall.aspx.

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 comprises more than 360 works by artists aged 2 to 82, representing all 50 states. Each artist is affected by one of the more than 40 diseases in MDA’s program. The permanent Collection represents all 50 states.

Selected art from the Collection has been exhibited at the Dallas Museum of Art; Cork Gallery at Lincoln Center and the Forbes Collection in New York; Chicago Public Library; Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art; Los Angeles Children's Museum; Capital Children's Museum, Washington; and many other sites.

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education. 

In addition to the MDA/ALS Center at University of California’s Irvine Medical Center in Orange, MDA maintains clinics for area adults and children at Children's Hospital of Orange County in Orange and Loma Linda University’s Pediatric Neuroscience Center in San Bernardino.