Exhibition HEROIC VISIONS & WORLD COSTUMES, FABRIC ART by ITA ABER and sculptures by LINDA STEIN at the Anita Shapolsky Art Foundation: May 22nd through July 9, 2006. HEROIC VISIONS Living and working in TriBeCa, Linda Stein found herself in a disaster zone on September 11, 2001. Residents of lower Manhattan were horrified as office workers fell over the flaming World Trade Towers. Stein was evacuated from her studio, and not able to return for several months. To this day she cannot walk past the "Ground Zero" site... Not surprisingly, Linda Stein's sculpture has taken a new and very dramatic direction since 9/11. Armored figures have appeared in her art - not the "knights of yore," but female warriors as symbol of protection in an increasingly hostile environment. Like classical torsos; they are sculptural fragments in the tradition of the Venus de Milo... Larger-than-life, Stein's figures are both vital and vulnerable. While they convey femaleness, some with breasts and curving torsos, they are monumentally postured and unyielding. Text by Joan Marter, excerpt Professor of Art History, Rutgers University Member, International Association of Art Critics, USA Section Ita Aber is an artist whose work intersects the three arcs of fine art, traditional women's textile art, and Judaic art. A unique female perspective is often apparent in her work, such as her recent sculpture, "The Stepped on Gemara", interpreting visually and playfully the story of the scholar who dutifully served in place of a footstool for his aged mother to climb into bed. Aber's studies in ancient synagogue architecture and symbolism are an important source for her work. Original scholarship into the origin of symbols and fabric designs resulted in her series using the Eta and Gamma symbols. Some pieces are reverent recalling forebears, other works are whimsical, such as the Eta piece that wears a tie... Ita Aber's entire body of work shows the integration of art into all parts of life. Text by Quimetta Perle, Curator, excerpt Ita Aber - 55 Year Retrospective World Costumes in Jim Thorpe     French fabric Authentic Belly dance costume, hand-made for Anita Shapolsky     Authentic Wedding lehangha, India Robe, Greece     Ceremonial Kimono / wedding, Japan, early 20th Century Ceremonial Kimono, Japan     Ceremonial Kimono, Japan Child's Band Jacket     Marching Band Jacket French fabric         Kimono From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Kimono (Literally "something worn", i.e., "clothes") are the traditional garments of Japan. Originally kimono was used for all types of clothing, but it came to refer specifically to the full-length garment that is still worn by women, men, and children. Kimono are T-shaped, straight-lined robes that fall to the ankle, with collars and full-length sleeves. The sleeves are commonly very wide at the wrist, perhaps a half meter. Traditionally, on special occasions unmarried women wear kimono with extremely long sleeves that extend almost to the floor. The robe is wrapped around the body, always with the left side over the right, and secured by a wide belt tied in the back, called an obi. Kimono are generally worn with traditional footwear (especially geta, thonged wood-platform footwear; and zori, a type of thong-like footwear) and split-toe socks called tabi.   Sari From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Illustration of a sari-clad woman, c.1847. Enlarge Illustration of a sari-clad woman, c.1847. This page is about the female garment of the Indian subcontinent. For the eponymous Iranian city, see Sari, Iran. A sari (also spelled saree) is the traditional garment worn by many women in the Indian subcontinent. The garment is known by different names in various Indian languages; in Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi, it is known as sa?i; in Kannada as seere; in Telugu as sheera and in Tamil as podavai. The sari is long strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from five to nine yards in length, which can be draped in various styles. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder. The sari is usually worn over a petticoat (called lehenga/ghagra in northern India and pavada/pavadai in the south) and a low-cut, short-sleeved, midriff-baring blouse known in north India as a choli. Contents     Linda Stein     Linda Stein Vertical Energy 365, 2002 Wood, metal, stone, 54" x 17" x 9" Linda Stein (K)night Figure 470, 2004 Wood, metal, leather, fiber, 49" x 19" x 7"   Linda Stein Quiet Strengtg 472, 2004 Wood, metal, stone, fiber, 51" x 15" x 8"   Ita Aber     Ita Aber Untitled, 1979 purple cotton satin with gold plated sequins Ita Aber Citron Outdoor Wall Hanging Medium: Paint on fabric