ARTWORK BY HERNDON ARTIST ACCEPTED INTO MDA ART COLLECTION

TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 25, 2008 – A watercolor painting by Matthew B. Grenier of Herndon, Va., has been accepted by the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Art Collection. Now in its 16th year, the Collection features artwork by people from across the country with muscular dystrophy and related diseases.

“Abstract Puzzle”

In Grenier's "Abstract Puzzle," brightly-colored puzzle pieces fit together to form a finished design. Grenier, 20, has been painting for six years, and also enjoys studying computer graphics, history and biology.

Grenier has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which causes progressive muscle wasting and weakness. He uses a power wheelchair for mobility.

"We're deeply honored to welcome Matthew Grenier’s work into the permanent MDA Art Collection," MDA President & CEO Gerald Weinberg said. "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 Grenier is on display at MDA's national headquarters in Tucson, Ariz., and can be seen at www.mda.org/commprog/art/displayall.aspx. Grenier's piece also 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 Collection comprises some 350 works by artists aged 2 to 82, representing all 50 states. Each artist is affected by one of the more than 40 neuromuscular diseases in MDA's 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; 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.