Stay Gallery exhibit

Dear Editor: Before seeing an article in the Downey Patriot for Rita Labib’s “Nearly Naked” exhibit, my friends and I had no idea that the Stay Gallery even existed in Downey.

The photograph used in the paper, entitled “Before Botox”, really sparked our interest. My friends and I are all very interested in art that deals with the female experience.

I visited the gallery with the cast of the show we’ve been working on for over a year, “Pieces of Her,” and the exhibit was beautiful and breathtaking. Each piece was honest and to the point. We all related to Rita’s message immediately. It was inspiring and empowering to see an exhibit full of pieces which represented the thoughts, conversations, and struggles we each face.

Rita Labib’s “Nearly Naked” exhibit was not just an incredible statement about unhealthy beauty standards, but a beautiful representation of the power of the female form.  We all walked around in awe. Rita’s pictures and sculptures seemed to give life to the words and thoughts we’ve had about female beauty our entire lives. She made those words and thoughts tangible. We are all women in our twenties, coming of age and trying to make sense of the world around us. We are also artists who were lucky enough to find inspiration in Rita’s beautiful work at Stay Gallery.

At the end of our visit, we had the opportunity to meet Rita and speak with her about her exhibit and to tell her about our theatre piece. She was incredibly sweet and interested in our project, and so was the creative director of the Stay Gallery. Because of Rita’s show, we are currently in the process of pitching our show for performance at Stay Gallery.

Jesse Schiffmacher (and the cast of “Pieces of Her”)

Downey

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Published: April 24, 2014 - Volume 13 - Issue 02