Adela Akers

American, born Spain, 1933–2023

Birth placeSantiago de Compostela, Spain

SchoolSpain

BiographyThe textile artist Adela Akers first began working at the loom in 1959. Born in Santiago de Compostela, Spain and raised in Havana, Cuba, Akers earned her first degree in pharmaceutical science at the University of Havana. After moving to the United States after graduation, she enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to study ceramics but ended up studying weaving. Her weaving classes led her to apply to the Cranbrook School of Art from which she graduated in 1963.

Akers's early work consisted of weavings with bright colors and dense, wrapped warp elements. An early influence was the American artist Lenore Tawney who, according to Akers, was the first person to present weaving to the public as an art form. By the late 1960s, Akers was a weaver-in-residence at the Penland School of Art. There she concentrated on larger works that had architectural references and which favored the muted colors of winter. Architecture continued to be a touchstone for Akers throughout her career as did her love for water.

From 1972-2002, Akers directed the department of weaving at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. During her years of teaching, she mentored artists such as Lewis Knauss, John McQueen, and Deborah Warner. While at Tyler, Akers continued to create bodies of work ranging from large scale wall hangings to miniatures. Her weavings continued to be formal in discipline and relied on a mathematical, organized way of problem solving - a holdover from her days as a pharmaceutical student.

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