# Ita Aber

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**Ita Aber** ( **Hershcovich**; March 27, 1932 – April 17, 2025) was a Canadian-born American feminist multimedia [textile artist](/source/Textile_artist), [art conservator](/source/Art_conservation), and curator.

## Life and career

Ita Aber was born in [Montreal, Quebec](/source/Montreal,_Quebec), Canada as Ita Hershcovich to Fannie ( Zabitsky) and Tudick Hershcovich. Her grandparents were of German, Polish, Russian, and Romanian Bukhara ancestry.[1]

Her first exposure to [feminism](/source/Feminism) was by her grandmother, an early [suffragette](/source/Suffragette) in Canada, and her mother, who founded the Milk Fund of Canada.[2] She took courses in [Jewish history](/source/Jewish_history), archaeology, art, and textile conservation at [Queen's College](/source/Queens_College,_City_University_of_New_York), [Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University), the [Jewish Theological Seminary](/source/Jewish_Theological_Seminary_of_America), and [New York University](/source/New_York_University).[3][4] She completed a bachelor's degree in Cultural Studies from [Empire State College](/source/Empire_State_College)[3] and carried out graduate-level studies at [The Valentine Museum (Richmond, Virginia)](/source/The_Valentine),[4] and the [Metropolitan Museum of Art](/source/Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art),[3] earning a master's degree equivalent in Jewish Art.[2]

In 1964, Aber became politically active, specifically in the [Reform Democratic movement](/source/Reform_Democrat).[2] Through her early political involvement, she sought to abolish laws in New York restricting [abortion](/source/Abortion).[2] She helped found [Women Strike for Peace](/source/Women_Strike_for_Peace), and also became active in the [environmental movement](/source/Environmental_movement), speaking out against the pollution in the [Hudson River](/source/Hudson_River).[2] At this time, she also became active in [equal rights](/source/Equality_before_the_law) activism, and minority and elder rights.[2]

Aber was a founding member of the [New York Feminist Art Institute](/source/New_York_Feminist_Art_Institute) and the founder of the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework.[2] Starting in 1972, she taught [needlework](/source/Needlework) at the [Jewish Museum](/source/Jewish_Museum_(New_York)), the [Cooper-Hewitt Museum](/source/Cooper-Hewitt_Museum) and other venues throughout the eastern United States.[2]

Aber's artistic-related archives are held at the [Archives of American Art](/source/Archives_of_American_Art),[2][5] with other archival collections being held by the [National Museum of Women in the Arts](/source/National_Museum_of_Women_in_the_Arts).[2] Her family's papers are held at Yeshiva University.[6]

Aber died on April 17, 2025, at the age of 93.[7]

## Exhibitions

- 2001: "55 Year Retrospective Exhibition", Broome Street Gallery[8][9]
- 2007: "Ita B'Ita: Ita Aber in Her Time: 60 Years of Creativity and Innovation by Ita Aber", [Yeshiva University](/source/Yeshiva_University) Museum[10][11]

## Bibliography

- *The art of Judaic needlework: traditional and contemporary designs*, Scribner, 1979, ISBN 978-0-684-16239-3;
- *Art of Judaic Needlepoint*, Simon & Schuster, 1982, ISBN 978-0-684-17684-0
- Ita H. Aber, Frann S. Addison, Katya Apekina, Beverly Auerbach, *Tradition today: modern Judaica and folk art*, Jewish Arts Foundation, 1990

## References

1. [Ita Aber biography](https://iupui.libguides.com/c.php?g=1156816) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220930111228/https://iupui.libguides.com/c.php?g=1156816) September 30, 2022 at the Wayback Machine, iupui.libguides.com. Accessed September 27, 2022.

1. Barbara J. Love (2006). [*Feminists who changed America, 1963–1975*](https://books.google.com/books?id=kpNarH7t9CkC). University of Illinois Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-252-03189-2. Retrieved January 4, 2012.

1. McBee, Richard (November 8, 2011). ["Ita Aber: A Jewish Woman’s Life in Art"](https://web.archive.org/web/20191023070746/https://jewishartsalon.org/ita-aber/). *Jewish Art Salon.org*. New York, NY: Jewish Art Salon. Archived from [the original](https://jewishartsalon.org/ita-aber/) on October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.

1. Heller, Jules & Heller, Nancy G. (1995). [*North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary*](https://books.google.com/books?id=AYxmAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA6). New York, NY: Routledge. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-1356-3882-5. – via [Google Books](/source/Google_Books)

1. Archives of American Art. ["Summary of the Ita H. Aber papers, 1950–2007 – Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution"](http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/ita-h-aber-papers-5607). *si.edu*

1. [Guide to the Aber Family Papers 1900–1992](http://libfindaids.yu.edu:8082/xtf/view?docId=ead/aberfamily/aberfamily.xml;query=;brand=default) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120105082643/http://libfindaids.yu.edu:8082/xtf/view?docId=ead/aberfamily/aberfamily.xml;query=;brand=default) January 5, 2012 at the Wayback Machine, libfindaids.yu.edu. Accessed September 27, 2022.

1. ["Ita Aber Obituary - Hawthorne, NY"](https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/hawthorne-ny/ita-aber-12343766). *Dignity Memorial*. Retrieved 2025-04-21.

1. ["American Guild of Judaic Art"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110927084212/http://www.jewishart.org/ItaAber/ItaAber.html). *jewishart.org*. Archived from [the original](http://www.jewishart.org/ItaAber/ItaAber.html) on September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2022.

1. McBee, Richard (January 21, 2001). ["Ita Aber: 55 Year Retrospective Exhibition"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110927084152/http://www.richardmcbee.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=136&Itemid=10) (review). *The Jewish Press*. Archived from [the original](http://www.richardmcbee.com/site/index.php?option%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D136%26Itemid%3D10) on September 27, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2011. – via author's website. richardmcbee.com.

1. "[Ita B'Ita: Ita Aber in Her Time 60 Years of Creativity and Innovation by Ita Aber](http://www.yumuseum.org/exhibitions/past/ita-bita-ita-aber-in-her-time-60-years-of-creativity-and-innovation-by-ita-aber) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250422104329/https://www.yumuseum.org/exhibitions/past/ita-bita-ita-aber-in-her-time-60-years-of-creativity-and-innovation-by-ita-aber) April 22, 2025 at the Wayback Machine". June 24–October 14, 2007. Yeshiva University Museum. yumuseum.org. Retrieved January 31, 2018.

1. Bauer, Linda (August 17, 2007). ["'60 Years of Creativity by Ita Aber' at Yeshiva University Museum"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180201194306/https://newtownbee.com/60-years-of-creativity-by-ita-aber-at-yeshiva-university-museum/). The Newtown Bee (Newtown, Connecticut). Archived from [the original](https://newtownbee.com/60-years-of-creativity-by-ita-aber-at-yeshiva-university-museum/) on February 1, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.

## External links

- [Exhibition HEROIC VISIONS & WORLD COSTUMES, FABRIC ART by ITA ABER and sculptures by LINDA STEIN](https://web.archive.org/web/20110114215806/http://www.asartfoundation.org/past_dresses.htm) at the [Anita Shapolsky Art Foundation](/source/Anita_Shapolsky_Art_Foundation): May 22 through July 9, 2006.
- [Ita Aber collection items](http://museum.cjh.org/ContactSheet.php?repository=CJH&QueryName=BasicQuery&QueryPage=/&Restriction=ObjAccessionNoPart1%3E%3D70&StartAt=1&any=SummaryData|ObjTitle|ObjAccessionNo|ObjCategory|ObjObjectName|CreObjectOrigin|ObjCollection|CreCreatorLocal_tab|DesMedium_tab|DesSubjects_tab|DatDateCreated|ObjOrganization&QueryTerms=ita+aber&QueryOption=any) at [Yeshiva University Museum](/source/Yeshiva_University_Museum)
- [Ita Aber collection](http://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/artist/ita-aber-american-b-canada-1932) at the [Jewish Museum](/source/Jewish_Museum_(Manhattan))
- [Ita Aber archival collection](http://www.cjhn.ca/en/permalink/cjhn285) at the [Canadian Jewish Archives](https://www.cjarchives.ca/en/c-j-archives/)
- [Ita Aber object](http://collections.madmuseum.org/advancedsearch/objects/peopleSearch%253Aaber%255C%252C%2520ita) at the [Museum of Arts and Design, NYC](http://collections.madmuseum.org/collections)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ita Aber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ita_Aber) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ita_Aber?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.