“Robes of Splendor” Features Robes and
Flat Panels Created Between 1870 and 1910

Wilmington, DE, April 13, 2006—A stunning and vivid display of color and design will grace the walls of Wilmington-based marketing communications firm Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C) beginning May 11. “Robes of Splendor,” the private collection of David and Elizabeth Reisbord, includes more than 100 robes and approximately 30 flat panels that were created between 1870 and 1910 using the difficult technique of ikat—tie-dyeing the fabric’s pattern into the yarns before weaving. Approximately 25 robes and several flat panels will be on display.

Pieces of the collection have been on exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Los Angeles Craft & Folk Art Museum and The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C.

The Reisbord collection began during a trip to Guatemala more than 30 years ago when physician David Reisbord fell in love with the textiles made and worn by the indigenous people. Although he purchased a few pieces in Guatemala, his foray into the serious collection of folk textiles started with a trip to Indonesia 15 years later. Inspired by his wife, Elizabeth Reisbord, a talented painter whose eye for color and aesthetics has played a major role in the development of the couple’s collection, the couple discovered the textiles of Soviet Central Asia. Since the Soviet Union dissolved into various “stans” they have amassed one of the largest private collections of Central Asian robes in the United States. The robes were given as gifts to dignitaries and warriors, included in dowries and worn by members of the upper class.

The public is invited to visit the exhibit and meet the collectors on Saturday, May 13, 2006, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The show will be open for public viewing Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

AB&C is a 35-year-old communications agency established in business-to-business and consumer marketing. The agency brings a fresh perspective to local, regional, national and international accounts in a variety of industries, including healthcare, finance, technology and tourism. AB&C is a member of the Transworld Advertising Agency Network (TAAN), the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the Advertising Clubs of Delaware and Philadelphia, the Art Directors’ Club of Philadelphia, the Jersey Shore Public Relations & Advertising Association (JSPRAA) and the American Marketing Association.

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