A IL E E N O S B O R N W E B B A W A R D S
Fellow
Adela
Akers
Fellow
Glenda
Arentzen
Known for her woven wall
hangings that create optical and
impressionistic effects, Adela
Akers has explored sculptural
concerns in large-scale works
that suggest waves through folds
and repetition of lines. Akers
was born in 1933 in Spain, grew
up in Cuba, and came to the u.s.
in 1957 to study art at the School
of the A rt Institute of Chicago
and then Cranbrook Academy
of Art. Now living in Guerne-
ville, California, she is profes-
sor emerita at the Tyler School
of A rt, Temple University,
Philadelphia, where she taught
from 1972 to 1995. Her more
recent work is flat and empha-
sizes rich surface detail. She
says, “ I am dealing with ideas,
but I am also responding to the
immediate tactile involvement
of doing.”
A full-time studio goldsmith in
New York City for more than
four decades, Glenda Arentzen
(b. 1941) has produced jewelry
notable for its expressive and
sensuous qualities. A graduate
ofSkidmore College
(b .s .
1962)
and Teachers College, Colum-
bia University
(m .a .
1964),
Arentzen also studied metal-
working as a Fulbright scholar
in Denmark. She has taught at
the Fashion Institute of Tech-
nology and Haystack Mountain
School of Crafts, among other
places. Her proficiency in many
techniques, including casting,
marriage-of-metals and gem-
stone-setting, serves an artistic
vision that captures the fresh-
ness of drawing and respects
the role of the wearer. “ My
work is a response to a variety
of moods and persons and
ideas," Arentzen has said. “ Life
is an adventure, and body orna-
ment can be one record of it.”
060 ainerican craft oct/novo9
www.freedowns.net & www.journal-plaiza.net
Akers photo/Tom Grotta, Arentzen photo/Bob Barrett.
