STEPHEN SHORTRIDGE One Man Show Friday, May 30th, 6-9 pm Saturday, May 31st, 1-4 pm Champagne Reception for the Artist West Coast Connection California artists show metalwork and textiles at Temple Israel. SUZANNE CHESSLER Special to the Jewish News A replica of Barbed Wire Mezuzah, the religious object that traveled with Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon aboard the ill-fated Columbia space shuttle, will be on display through Aug. 31 at Temple Israel. The religious piece has a centrally placed Jewish star bordered with wire. The mezuzah is part of a larger exhibit shared by metal artist Aimee Golant and fabric artist Mary Ann Newman, both of California. The two, who have shown their work together on the West Coast, are represented for the first time in Michigan as their pieces fill the Temple Israel Judaic and Archival Museum. "It's very exciting for me to show my work in the Detroit area," says Golant, 29, who has sent menorot as well as mezuzot for temple viewing. "It was a huge honor for me to have my work chosen for the space mission, and I felt very sad about the tragedy." Golant traces her interest in metal to her Polish grandfather, who was a die maker. She traces her interest in Judaica to both Polish grandparents, who were Holocaust survivors. "Ilan heard about my work through an organization of sur- vivors that includes my grand- parents as members," Golant explains. "His mother is a survivor, so he wanted a piece that related to the Holocaust. Survival is at the heart of my Jewish work." Golant works in silver, copper, bronze, gold and pewter. Her approach is to combine standard fab- rication techniques with adaptive ways of using the hydraulic press. "I would like to bring some of the Jewish culture into pop culture as a way to foster understanding among people," says Golant, whose work is in the permanent collection of the Jewish Museum in New York City and sold by more than 250 retailers. Offering a contrast to the metal are four woven pieces shown by Newman. Three are wall hangings, and one is a tallit (prayer shawl). "I did paintings before I started weav- ing," says Newman, 78, whose husband, Richard, graduated from the University of Michigan. "After taking weaving classes in the late 1970s, I began to like the feel of the materials and became serious about this kind of work." Newman, who converted to Judaism, is showing wall hangings that illustrate passages from the Bible. Let There Be Danielle Peleg Gallery 4301 Orchard Lake Road West Bloomfield Crosswinds Mall Phone: 248.626.5810 Hours: Mon 12-5, Tues-Sat 10-6 Above: A tapestry by Mary Ann Newman: (And out of the ground God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight," from Genesis 2:9. Left: Aimee Golant with the mezuzah Ilan Ramon took into space. Light, for example, combines dark blue and golden tones and shows an inlay technique to give a painterly effect. "I have made 43 tallit, and I also do shawls, scarves and jackets," says the textile artist, who has made religious pieces for children of friends at the time of b'nai mitzvah. Originally from South Dakota, Newman has lived in Switzerland and Norway and has traveled extensively. ❑ The work of Aimee Golant and Mary Ann Newman will be on exhibit through Aug. 31 at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. (248) 661-5700. Sunday Brunch 12 pm until 3:00 pm Sewing Quiche & Frittata Daily • Shrimp Benedict • Egg Sardou • Fettuccine Florentine Bottomless Bloody Mary & Mimosa Bar Saturday Nights Music by Kathy Kosins . Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 5:30 - 10:00 Friday & Saturday 5:30 - 11:00 Sunday Brunch 12:00 noon - 3:00 Sunday Dinner 5:30 - 10:00 17546 Woodward Ave. (2 blocks north of McNichols) Detroit 313-865-0331 Closed Monday • Enter rear * Valet parking 5/30 2003 63