The Maine Arts Commission will be awarded the 2006 National Accessibility Leadership Award and grant Saturday in New York, according to a National Endowment for the Arts statement released Friday afternoon.

Alden Wilson, director of the Maine Arts Commission, will accept the award during the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference being held in New York City.

The Maine Arts Commission was chosen “in acknowledgement of its numerous programs that serve as national models, demonstrate long-term impacts, and involve the targeted populations in planning and implementation,” according to the NEA statement.

A series of 27 open forums, “Art Knows No Boundaries: What is Accessibility,” that Maine Arts Commission held around the state was one of several specific programs that qualified the group for the award.

The NEA and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies sponsor the annual $30,000 award, established in 2001.