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WINCHESTER, Va. (March 12, 2002) - Actor, director and activist
Christopher Reeve recently gave permission to Winchester artist
Cynthia Fraula-Hahn to use his image in a painting entitled,
"Superman's Stem  Cell
Garden," in the upcoming exhibit, "Lot 24: The Wheelchair
Project," an issue- oriented exhibition that opens Saturday,
April 6 and runs through May 14, 2002, at Shenandoah University's
Health Professions Building on the campus of the Winchester Medical
Center.
The painting will include stem cell images incorporated with
the figure of Reeve with documentation about the Christopher
Reeve Paralysis Foundation accompanying the painting.
Lot 24: The Wheelchair Project will feature issue-oriented studio
paintings, collaborative paintings, sculpture and a video performance
piece by Fraula-Hahn. It will focus on the human spirit and how
the physically challenged overcome the difficulties of daily
living in a wheelchair. The exhibition will be hung at wheelchair
level with wheelchairs available for non-handicapped individuals
who wish to experience the exhibit from that perspective.
Reeve, who is recognized worldwide for his movie roles as Superman,
became an activist when, after an unfortunate riding accident
during a "hunt" in Virginia in 1996, was paralyzed
from the shoulders down and is now a C-2 ventilator-dependant
quadriplegic. Since the accident, he has taken his misfortune
and transformed himself into a champion for a cure for paralysis
thru stem cell research. He has lobbied the National Institute
of Health to increase their budget from $12 billion to $25 billion
in 2002.
He testified before the Senate as a proponent of stem cell research.
Reeve joined with Senator Robert G. Torricelli to introduce legislation
to create a national brain and spinal chord injury registry.
"Christopher Reeve has become in real life the role he played
on film," said Fraula-Hahn. "He is truly 'Superman.'"
 In addition to Reeve,
the exhibit includes a portrait of artist Frida Kahlo in her
wheelchair with her doctor, as well as a portrait of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt. Also included in the exhibit are collaborative
paintings created by Fraula-Hahn and artist Alix Tobey Southwick,
as well as wheelchair light sculptures and a video created by
Fraula-Hahn and environmental lighting specialist Paul Deeb,
co-owner of Winchester-based Ear Food Image, Sound and Light.
Fraula-Hahn is a southern, feminist painter who, after returning
to her roots in Virginia, examined her Quaker heritage and visually
recreated a series about life in the South. Her work and attention
has now shifted to a larger concept of using the visual arts
to raise awareness of the wheelchair-bound segment of our society.
The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF) encourages
and supports research to develop effective treatments and a cure
for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central
nervous system disorders. The Foundation evaluates and selects
these research programs using councils of internationally renowned
neuroscientists and clinicians. The Foundation also allocates
a portion of its resources to grants that improve the quality
of life for people with disabilities. Visit Reeve's web site
at www.paralysis.org,
for more information.
"Lot 24: The Wheelchair Project" will travel after
its run at Shenandoah University. For more information about
the exhibit, contact the artist at 540-662-4355 or visit her
web site at www.otherart.com.
Shenandoah University is a comprehensive Level V university with
an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students in five schools:
School of Arts & Sciences, Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business,
Shenandoah Conservatory, Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy and
the School of Health Professions (Athletic Training, Nursing
and Respiratory Care, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy,
and Physician Assistant Studies). The university offers more
than 60 programs of study at the undergraduate, graduate and
professional levels. For further information, contact the Office
of Public Relations at 540/665-4510 or visit our web site at
www.su.edu.
Read
the article in the Winchester Star dated April 3, 2002 detailing
this exhibit.
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