Design For Living 2001.

Coping is the theme of the Society's current children's art exhibit. We asked kids from grade school through high school for inventions, designs, paintings, sculptures, collages, models, and ideas--to improve the life of someone they love who has MS.

The young artists dealt with real MS issues such as accessibility, mobility, heat, and fatigue. In workshops at Society chapters around the country, kids partnered with professional industrial designers, and developed creations that were often quite ingenious. Most important, the workshops helped to foster communication about MS within families, and gave the kids an opportunity to bond with others their age who live with family members who have MS.

Several of the designs will be reproduced on Society calendars and holiday cards in 2001.

The Design for Living 2001 exhibition debuted at the Society's National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., November 2000, before beginning a national tour. The show features works from the 10 Society chapters that helped pilot the program, and kicks off a call for entries in a juried show that will be scheduled later this year. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2001. Winners will receive prizes, and their creations will ultimately be seen by several million people at museums, corporate headquarters, shopping malls, and other public spaces.

Call your Society chapter to find out when a Design for Living workshop will take place in your area -- or contact Andrea Furey of the Society's National Arts Programs at 212-476-0442; e-mail: [e-mail].