Your Town-Russian Art Exhibitation By Kathleen Giordano

Over 400 celebrated the successful closing of the Russian Art Exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum on Wednesday, January 14, 2006 in New York City.RUSSIA! has been widely acclaimed as the most comprehensive exhibition demonstrating Russia's remarkable contributions to world culture from the 13th Century to the present day. This unique exhibition has been realized under the patronage of Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and is a cultural collaboration between the United States and Russia.The exhibition was a significant reflection of the richness and diversity of the once sovereign empire, including select works amassed in Russia since the time of Peter the Great. It provided an opportunity to explore the extraordinary history of Russian art during an expansive chronological period. Because of the importance of this exhibition, all works presented were of the highest quality and charted the decisive moments in the development of Russian art.Helen Yarmak, the premier Russian fashion house in the U.S., designed a special collection "Russia which as displayed on models at the event. Ms. Yarmak received the Global Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2000 and was named International Designer of the Year in 2003. Her luxury furs and jewelry collections can be seen in stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.And speaking of jewelry, Ms. Yarmak knows a thing or two about big rocks. The fur designer started her own jewelry line a few years back using semiprecious stones indigenous to Russia. Trained as a mathematician, Yarmak entered the fashion business in the 1990's. For her jewelry line, she works extra large stones like topaz, aquamarine and amethyst into chancy necklaces, bangles and rings in distressed gold. "I wouldn't say it's exactly spiritual, but I feel a connection with the stones. People come to us filled with stress. Step by step, they cheer up, she says. "It makes me happy."Yarmak's office is filled with photographs of herself hobnobbing with international power players like Bill Clinton and Prince Charles and her connections with Russia?s politicians, celebrities and socialites are no less wide reaching. Other celebrity clients include Goldie Hawn, Chloe Sevigny, Janet Jackson, Morgan Fairchild and Jim Carrey and many many others. CBS News has called Helen Yarmak the "Russian Fashion Ambassador in America."The evenings' host and sponsor was Alexandre Gertsman, President of The International Foundation of Russian and Eastern European Art (INTART). He congratulated Thomas Krens, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Lisa Dennison, Director of New York Guggenheim Museum, ABT's Prima Ballerina Irina Dvorovenko and Helen Yarmak Fashion House U.S. Representative Anna Kiladze. Other guests included Andrei Denisov, Jacob "The Jeweler Arabo, actress Tina Louise, model Keisha Boldan, art consultant Michel Witmer, lighting designer Bentley Meeker, Zina Sapir, Salvatore Strazzullo, Debbie Dickenson, Julie Hayek, Michele Gerber Klein, Elizabeth Scokin and Pavel Machitski of Moscow's Tretyacov Gallery.