VOA标准英语2009年-Exhibit Shows Physical Handicap is No

Artists who go from pain and despair to hope and creativity

Rebecca Ward¹ | Washington, DC 16 December 2009

 
The exhibition demonstrated how art can inspire the disabled or those living with pain to lead more creative lives

 
A gallery in Washington, D.C. recently held an exhibition to show the role art can play in inspiring the disabled or those living with pain to lead more creative lives. 

 No Dream beyond Reach was much more than an art exhibit; it demonstrated how creativity and hope are possible in even the most difficult circumstances.  The show featured the digital artwork of a disabled artist and what is described as wheel art technology that helps people defy physical handicaps.

Shanti Norris is the co-founder of the Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, D.C., where the exhibition was held. "Just because we have limitations, which in a way we all do in one form or another, just because we have limitations doesn't mean we can't express ourselves in a profoundly beautiful way," she said.

The art on display is the creation of Andrew Reach.  He had a successful career as an architect until spinal² disease made it impossible for him to work in his field.  But the disease did not take away his desire to create.   He went from building airports and museums to creating computer-generated prints.  Because of his condition - he is in constant pain - Reach cannot give interviews, but on his Web site he talks about his journey from pain and despair to hope and creativity.

"There are so many people that have so many challenges. I am just one of the millions of people that deal with it and do it every day. My hope is that, by sharing my art, it will educate more and more people on how art can nourish the soul, the mind and the body to a place of wellness," Reach said.

Reach creates his digital prints on his computer, and most of them are done while he is lying in his bed - the position where he is in the least pain.

Lauren Nelson is a gallery visitor. "I think it's amazing for someone to take what could be considered debilitating³ and devastating⁴ and turn it into something positive," she said.  "[It] is amazing, and I give him a lot of credit for doing that."

Also on display at the center was an interactive⁵ system that transforms any wheelchair into a vehicle for self-expression and art-making. The technology was created by Young Chung, a New York-based Korean engineer.  His work with disabled teenagers inspired him to create the wheelchair art technology. 

"A lot of times, pain or suffering and disability of any sort is very isolating⁶ and people sort of get locked in that loneliness and feel disconnected from the world. In terms of healing that is no way to address pain and move forward,"  Brooke Sidelmann, gallery director said. "Art allows these people an avenue where they can still be themselves and where they can forget about pain and limitation and in doing so they empower themselves and directly their immune system becomes much stronger."

The No Dream Beyond Reach exhibit is a testimony⁷ to the power of art to inspire those who create it, as well as those who enjoy it.
 

1 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

2 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

3 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

6 isolating   

adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些滤色片不能很有效地分离狭窄的光谱带。 来自辞典例句
• This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 这个方法以后就称为分离细菌的划线法。 来自辞典例句

7 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。