The IMPACT exhibit showcases American fashion designers. (BOCAPARENT.COM)

If you’ve got a young fashionista in the house, put the Boca Raton Museum of Art’s latest exhibit on your calendar.

The show is called “IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA” (Council of Fashion Designers of America), showcasing American design. There are stunning designs from Zac Posen, Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang and many more.

Feather jacket, skirt and turban by Norma Kamali. (MFIT/CFDA)

Ball gown by Oscar de la Renta from 2012. (MFIT/CFDA)

Each living designer participating in the exhibit selected a piece they felt best represents their impact on the fashion world, according to the museum.

Included is the red and black Narciso Rodriguez design that First Lady Michelle Obama wore on election night in 2008, as well as some imaginative gowns with feathers from Norma Kamali and Thom Browne.

Two other exhibits accompany IMPACT on the museum’s first floor. “Draw and Shoot” is a collection of fashion drawings and photos, including some from Helmut Newton and Richard Avedon.

Behind the IMPACT show is “Jody Culkin: Refashioned,” colorful and quirky artworks inspired by clothes and accessories. There’s a metal purse made into a fountain. A sheer burka.

It’s a great mother-daughter (or grandmother-granddaughter) outing, though interesting enough for dads and sons, too. There is a menswear section, as well.

The show runs through April 21. The museum, on the north end of Mizner Park, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday; noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $15 for adults; $8 for students; free for kids 12 and younger. Learn more at bocamuseum.org.

- CHARLENE PACENTI

Uribe created 'Mule' in 2008 from wood and shoes.

The Boca Raton Museum of Art is showing a colorful exhibit the kids will love.

The World According to Federico Uribe is a whimsical installation that celebrates sustainability and the natural world.

Uribe’s sculptures are made of everyday objects – sneaker soles, clothespins, crutches, pencils, shoelaces, garden hose.

A mural of black sheep, Obeja Negra, is made from black phone cord. The spines of books are cut to form tropical birds and a cactus. A tree is formed with flip-flops.

Large murals, life-size palm trees and a stunning yellow sun transform the museum’s 5,000-foot main gallery, with sounds of the rain forest playing in the background.

It’s like wandering into a cartoon and getting lost in the magic.

Uribe, 49, a native of Colombia, lives in Miami.

IF YOU GO

The World According to Federico Uribe is on display at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, located at the north end of Mizner Park in Downtown Boca, through Dec. 4.
The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays; noon to 5 p.m. weekends; closed Monday. Admission is $8 for adults; $4 for students; free for kids 12 and under. Family memberships are $120 if you join by Dec. 4.

The museum will be open on Nov. 11, Veterans Day – a no-school day.

MUSEUM EVENTS FOR KIDS

• Nov. 12: Third- through fifth-graders are invited to learn all about Uribe and create a masterpiece of their own in his style. 1-2:30 p.m. $5. Reservations required. Call 561-392-2500, ext. 106.
• Nov. 13: Art workshop on flower pot sculptures. 2-3 p.m. Free. In the museum auditorium.

Get more information on the museum at www.bocamuseum.org.

Read more about Uribe and see more of his work at www.federicouribe.com.

- CHARLENE PACENTI

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was originally posted on Feb. 8, 2010.

If you have school-age kids who could use a dose of art appreciation, get them over to the Boca Raton Museum of Art for “The Magical World of M.C. Escher.”

The exhibit features several of the master’s drawings and lithographs, including the popular “Relativity” — or “Crazy Stairs,” as our favorite 6-year-old likes to call it.

The kids will likely love the works at face value, given the intricate details, many drawn with pen or pencil – materials the kids can relate to. If you have a third-grader studying tesselations in either art or math class, they may recognize several of them.

The exhibit, which you can thoroughly see in about an hour, has so many great lessons for kids.

Including:

• How the creative process works. Because the exhibit includes many of the preliminary sketches along with the finished works, kids can see that it takes more than one draft. That success comes with polishing and revision.

• Math is everywhere. Some sketches are accompanied by mathematical equations. Of course! How else to fit in all those angles with such perfection? This was a dismaying revelation to a certain 10-year-old.

But the show is fun, too.

A black light gallery illuminates Escher pieces that were made into psychedelic posters by San Franciso hippies in the ’60s - without the artist’s approval.

The show runs through April 11 at the museum, on the north end of Mizner Park. Admission is $14 for adults; $6 for students over age 12; free for kids 12 and under. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; open till 9 p.m. on Wednesday; closed Monday. Call 561-392-2500 or visit its website.

What’s happening

FCAT Time: If you have a fourth-, eighth-, or 10-grader in the public schools, you know what’s happening this week: The FCAT in writing. No matter how you feel about this test as a parent, the kids are no doubt feeling some pressure about their performance. Here are some tips from of our local teachers for how we can help our kids do their best:

• Keep activities to a minimum the night before the test so the kids are not tired out.

• Put them to bed at least 15-20 minutes earlier than usual.

• Have them get their uniform, backpack, socks and shoes together the night before to reduce chaos the next morning.

• Have them wake up a little earlier to start the day calmly.

• Make a healthy breakfast that does not include too much sugar.