Self-Guided Tour de Force

This year marks the 10th anniversary of what some regard as the finest, and others the only, major accomplishment of the Bush administration: the day -- June 26, 1990 -- when ol' George Senior signed the Americans With Disabilities Act into law. Various events are being held around the country to celebrate this, and one of the more intriguing of these is sponsored by the Valley's own ArtAbility, the "informal consortium working together to provide access to Arizona's arts" for persons with disabilities. Artists Without Bounds, a self-guided tour of creations by artists with disabilities, continues through December at more than a dozen local venues.

The tour is designed to remind us that the disabled community has remarkable practitioners in the visual and tactile arts. Claude Monet, for instance, was severely visually impaired, and Freda Kahlo was physically impaired. Examples of the work of both can be seen in "Artists Without Bounds" -- Monet's Les Arceaux Fleuris and Kahlo's The Suicide of Dorothy Hall are displayed at Phoenix Art Museum.

Here's a rundown of some other stops on the tour:

Arizona State University Art Museum -- Visually impaired artist Dale Chihuly's Cadmium Red Orange Basket Set with Black Wraps is displayed through August. 10th Street and Mill in Tempe. 480-965-2787.

Bryan's Extended Care Center -- Works by "mouthwand artist" Tyree Honga and incomplete quadriplegic Jose Cantu are displayed in the lobby. 9155 North Third Street. 602-944-1666.

Heard Museum -- Blind artist Michael Naranjo's The Bath is exhibited. Another tactile exhibit by Naranjo, "Inner Visions," opens on September 9. 22 East Monte Vista. 602-252-8840.

Highland Manor -- Mouthwand artist Carl Endischee's works are featured in the lobby of the facility. 4635 North 14th Street. 602-264-9039.

Marty Manning Watercolors -- Works by Manning, who has multiple sclerosis, are displayed. 25832 North Third Street. 602-516-1027.

Samaritan Rehabilitation Institute -- Works by artists with spinal cord injuries are displayed through Friday, July 28. 1012 West Willetta. 602-239-5929.

Shemer Art Center -- Works from the Artists With Disabilities Art Class are presented through August 10, and again October 16 through 20. 5005 East Camelback. 602-262-4727.

West Valley Art Museum -- "Face to Face," a show of works by Elizabeth Layton, an artist with chronic depression, is slated from October 24 to November 26. 17420 North Avenue of the Arts in Surprise. 623-972-0635.

For hours, dates and other details, call the individual venues. For more information on ArtAbility, check www.artability.org or call 602-364-0291 (TTY 602-542-6686).