Artspace opening this Saturday

Artspace
50 Orange St, New Haven, (203) 772-2709
101 Dresses
May 9—June 23, 2007
Opening reception: May 12, 5—8 p.m.

Press release

101 Dressess, an exhibition co-curated by Linda Lindroth and Denise Markonish, celebrates fashion in contemporary art. On view will be 101+ examples reflecting ideas of fashion in all media, including painting, sculpture, photography, digital art and narrative text, by a mix of local and national visual artists, fashion designers and collectors. In addition to the exhibition at Artspace, community activities will provide further focus on this subject and its history in New Haven, which was once a major center for garment manufacturing.

101 Dresses also pays tribute to local children's author and West Haven librarian Eleanor Estes (1906—1988), who would have been 101 years old on May 9, the exhibition's opening day. Author of the award-winning Ginger Pye and The Moffats, Estes also wrote The Hundred Dresses (1944), the classic children's book that serves as inspiration for the exhibition. Widely considered a timeless tale of courage, The Hundred Dresses tells the story of Polish immigrant Wanda Petronski and her experiences at her new American school. But Estes' The Hundred Dresses is only one of many examples of narratives relating to—and inspired by—fashion. The wide-ranging art featured in 101 Dresses explores and examines countless others, demonstrating the oft-overlooked ways in which fashion tells stories of its own.

Participating artists include:
Anni Abbi, Allen Art, Nina Bentley, Marianne Bernstein, Kathy Bitetti, Susan Breen, Zoe Brookes, Donnamaria Bruton, Kelsey Byers, Harriet Caldwell, Lisa Costanzo, R. Crumb, Jennifer Davies, Steve DiGiovanni, Nancy Eisenfeld, Valerie Ferus, Joan Fitzsimmons, Roberta Friedman, Joan Gardner, Mario Giacomelli, Stephen Grossman, Marisa Jahn, Maira Kalman, Barbara Kalpatric, kHyal, Lonnie Long, Lady McCready, Charlotte McCurdy, Jane Miller, Barbara Morgan, Andy Mowbray, Alan Neider, Alexis Neider, Yoko Ono, Zac Posen, J. Morgan Puett, Shannon Rankin, Karen Ruenitz, Steve Shada, Karen Shaw, Zoe Sheehan, Jean Shin, Laurie Simmons, Alice Smith, Mimi Smith, Esther Solondz, Christina Spiesel, Studio 5050, Ari Tabei, Rashmi Talpade, Bob Taplin, Joyce Tenneson, Rita Valley, Rachael Vaters-Carr, Maryjean Viano Crowe, Jonathan Waters, Jemma Williams, Aicha Woods, and others.

The public is invited to the exhibition's opening reception on May 12, 5-8 pm. At 6 p.m. there will be performances by Ari Tabei and Rebecca Parker.