Threaded Realities: Women, Identity & Fashion
An Exhibition at Kota Alliance | Harlem, NYC
The Kota Alliance is excited to present the opening reception for our 2025 Art Exhibit, Threaded Realities: Women, Identity & Fashion, on November 6th at 6PM at the Kota Alliance.
Rooted in Harlem’s vibrant fashion culture, this show presents works that explore how fashion serves as a thread of identity, memory, protest, and power. From hand-sewn stories to visual statements, Threaded Realities celebrates fashion as a feminist and communal language—where we dress not to be defined, but to define ourselves.
A special youth section features teenage artists. Beyond echoing the mutually-shared experiences of adult residents, the teenage artists reveal unexpected insights into growing up in Harlem today. While honoring the historic legacy of Harlem’s Black and Latinx communities, this exhibit also empowers younger generations to express their unique relationships to that legacy, while envisioning the future.
The art exhibition will run from November 6th to December 3rd, 2025.
Participating Women and Non-binary Artists
Milagros Batista, Patricia McKenzie, Danielle B. Wright, Brianna Tejeda, Wilhemina Grant-Cooper, Claudia Romero, Janet Stewart, Julia Justo, Katie Godowski, Brenda Amaya, Mesoma Onyeagba, Silvie Cheng, Rose Deler, Shimoda Donna Emanuel, SL Peters, Tomo Mori, Kelly Niceley, Sonia Lerebours, Haileigh Nelson, Ébun Nazon-Power, Gladys Perez, Regina Gradess, Erina McSweeney, and Maria Terreno.
Participating Harlem Teen Artists
Allura Clarke, Maryam Montesino, Florencia Shumak, Jasmyn Lillies, and Selaire Tavarez.
Meet the Curator
Ruthy Valdez is an established surrealist artist and visionary recognized for her deeply symbolic and intensely vibrant compositions.
Valdez's perspective is uniquely informed by her Dominican and Turkish heritage and upbringing in Harlem and Washington Heights. Her work has been exhibited nationally since 2005, is held in hundreds of private collections, and has been featured on major media outlets, including VH1, the Food Network Channel, and ABC.