Ida Abelman studied at the National Academy of Design and the Design Laboratory. She was active in the graphic arts division of the New York City WPA. Her work has been exhibited at the Federal Art Gallery, New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, Philadelphia Art Museum, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Berkshire Museum of Fine Arts. She was included in the American Artist's Congress 100 Print Show "America Today".