bcith, lbeci,blincis, linens, circiperies...ancl more!

drapery out

u

eNc.

When you want the unique!" I Since 1969

Student Exhibits
Wearable Artwork

RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER

Swag & Tails

luxurious antique satin fabric

T

hese days it's a little tough Lighting Supply Company in Fer-
getting 22-year-old Debra ndale. During lunch hour, she
Cohen to go anywhere creates.
without her chain mail.
"In fact, I wanted to take (my
The senior art student at art tools) to the Tigers game the
Wayne State University has other day, but my friends
honed a talent and a passion for wouldn't let me," she says.
weaving links of metal wire into
Some of Ms. Cohen's "artgarb"
wearable art.
includes Judaica. She is about to
"My goal is to blur
the line between or-
namentation and
garments," she says.
And so she has.
Decorative collars,
bracelets, necklaces
— even a golden top.
"It intrigues me," she
says, "that you can
take something as
rigid as metal and
make it into a flexi-
ble, fluid shape."
Starting Aug. 13,
Ms. Cohen's work
will be featured for a
month at "Fiber
Fashion Form '94,"
an exhibit sponsored
by the Michigan Sur-
face Design Associa-
tion, in cooperation
with Wayne State
University and the
Michigan Foundation

Batiste Sheers

118" seamless sheer fabric

Custom Draperies

antique satin fabric with deluxe
white lining & matching tie backs

drapery boutique will fabricate your Swag & Tails valance, Custom Draperies and

Seamless Sheers LABOR FREE! with the purchase of select deluxe Antique Satin fabrics
and 118" seamless Batiste fabric.

complete window includes:

• Antique Satin fabric
• 115" seamless sheer Batiste fabric
• deluxe white Lining
• Swag & Tail valance design
• matching fabric Tie Backs
deluxe Antique Satin fabric
• lined Side Drapes
valued at $15 per yard... just 109 ° per yard
• Custom Tailoring
118" seamless 13atiste sheer fabric
• all Rods and Hardware
valued at $29 per yard... just 159 ° per yard
• and Installed!

Canton, Livonia
Plymouth Area

>

for the Arts.
The juried exhibition, to be
held in the WSU Community
Arts Gallery, will feature the
work of 38 artists from across the
country, in addition to the cre-
ations of Barbara Altwerger, the
show's curator.
"Wearable art isn't always
looked at as fine art, but it is
equally as important as sculpture
and painting. Textile artists have
had a difficult time finding their
realm in the art world because if
it's functional, people wonder if
it's art. The answer is yes," Ms.
Altwerger says. "It's a combina-
tion of skill, craftsmanship and
art."
For Ms. Cohen, wearable art
has become more than something
she studies at college. It's an ad-
diction. Often, she'll bring wire
and pliers to her full-time job at

embark upon adornments for a
tallit and a metal biker jacket
made of aluminum with panels
on the back depicting the sheva-
tim (Twelve Tribes of Israel). Of-
ten, Ms. Cohen will consult books
on history, religion and art for
guidance and inspiration.
Community Arts Gallery Di-
rector John Slick, a sculptor him-
self, says Ms. Cohen shows
tremendous promise as an artist.
"There's something very mys-
tical and religious about many of
the elements she uses in a lot of
her pieces. Debra is very tradi-
tionally well-educated. Much of
her work questions, but never
mocks her tradition, her faith,"
he says.
Ms. Cohen discovered her tal-
ent at the Sally Allan Alexander

ARTWORK page 20

Commerce, Wixom,
Wailed Lake Area

Maple Rd.

Metropolitan Pkwy.

Canton Corners 42775 Ford Rd
Ph: (313) 981-7400

ommil ■i■ ....111=11=21
Crossroads Ctr. 37130 Van Dyke Newberry Plaza 39800 14Mile Rd.
Ph: (810) 795-1500
Ph: (810) 669-0330

7E1

Farmington Hills
West Bloomfield Area

Novi, Northville,
Farmingt
on Hills Area

30854 Orchard Lk.Rd. at 14 MI
-
Ph: (810) 626-4313

Pepper Sq. 39253 Gd. River
Ph: (810) 478-3133

Troy, Bloomfield,
Rochester Area
MICEEnTa
l
EMMEN=
IMEMERNE

litt
11111111
,tim

murrrnmaiz

Above: Debra Cohen's
chain-mail art.

Left: Ms. Cohen also
has created a
chain-mail choker
with a dome of stars.

Sterling Heights, Utica,
Warren Area

Venus Plaza. 6046 Rochester Rd.

Ph: (810) 879-1010

SHOP
AT HOME
1 -800-
444-3983

Call for an
appointment
Monday-Friday
9-5:30
Saturday 9:30-2

ISALLYS DESIGN!

Sally's Design Boutique
INVITES YOU TO A PREVIEW

Fake Fur is turning up all over Paris this season

Forecast for Fall

'The Ultimate In Fun Furs"

• Merle Coats (Wool Melton & Mohair)
• Fabulous Faux Furs from Paris
• Leathers • Shearlings • Silk Coats

TRUNK SHOW

Tuesday, August 16th 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Wednesday, August 17th 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Featuring:

Vicenza Belts
Joan & David Belts and Handbags
1-ligh Fashion Jewelry

Mon.-Fri. 10:00-6:00
Thursday 10:00-8:00
Saturday 10:00-5:30

626-0886

4301 Orchard Lake Rd. at Lone Pine
West Bloomfield, Mich.
Inside Crosswinds Mall