RECEPTION WELCOMES “SCARRED FOR LIFE” AT MUSEUM    Adrianne Noe, Ph.D., museum director, prepares to speak at the reception An opening reception for the museum's newest exhibit, "Scarred for Life" by artist Ted Meyer, not only drew a crowd of well wishers, but reporters from The New York Times, Washington Post and Washington Examiner. (Read what they said on the museum's web site, at www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum/news/ saying_about_us.html.) The display of 35 ink prints showing surgical scars marks the latest in the museum’s traveling exhibit space, and the fourth to integrate art and science in a collection. Meyer was on hand to provide tours and information about his exhibit, which grew out of his interest in surgical scars, after suffering a life-long illness with Gaucher disease. The rare genetic disorder, which causes pain and deterioration of the joints and organs, left him with many scars, and now that he is considered healthy and recovered, he has turned to the scars of others to document their stories. Rhonda Buyers, executive director of the National Gaucher Foundation, Dr. Roscoe Brady, scientist emeritus, National Institutes of Health and Ted Meyer, artist of "Scarred for Life" Meyer spoke at the reception, along with Rhonda Buyers, the executive director of the National Gaucher Foundation, who stressed the importance of awareness, in order to diagnose the disease early, as it often has common symptoms. She went on to add that exhibitions such as this one “in a venue like the National Museum of Health and Medicine, only help to create public awareness of the disease, and thanks to Ted, in such a beautiful way.” Dr. Roscoe Brady, scientist emeritus at the National Institutes of Health, explained the ongoing research efforts at targeting the gene that causes the body to make too much of a lipid called “glucocerebrosidase.” Meyer feels that a scar is not just a marker of a disability, but rather part of what makes someone physically and emotionally unique. “Scars can mark entering into or out of a disability, going from cancer to health, from limited mobility to full movement. They freeze a moment in time, a car accident or gun shot.” Reception attendees take a look at the artwork The 35 mono-prints, on display through March 2007, were taken directly from the skin of his models and are portraits of the events that changed their lives. The details of the scar are accentuated with gouache (opaque water color paint) and color pencil, turning these lasting monuments, often thought of as unsightly, into things of beauty. One print entitled “Back scar T-12, L-1” is detailed with gouache, color pencil and graphite, and is the first of Meyer’s pieces. It was taken from the back of a woman who had fallen out of a tree while working as a camp counselor, and acted as the inspiration for this collection. Meyer graduated from Arizona State University in 1980 with a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design, relocated to California in 1980 and then to New York City in 1993. He returned to the west coast in 1995 and currently resides in Los Angeles. Meyer is owner of the design studio, "Art Your World,” an author/illustrator with four books to his credit, contributing writer for Coagula Arts Monthly and a member of HARK (Healing Arts Reaching Kids) at Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles. HARKS's goal is to raise money to continue the hospital’s current artist-in-residency program on a permanent basis. According to the National Gaucher Foundation, there are more than 200 genetic mutations known to cause Gaucher disease, however there are 5 mutations that account for 95 percent of the Gaucher disease in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, and 50 percent of the Gaucher disease in the general population. The carrier rate for the mutations that cause Gaucher disease may be as high as 1 in 15 Jewish people of Eastern European ancestry, and 1 in 200 of the general population. More information can be found at www.gaucherdisease.org.