During the summer, I had the privilege of chaperoning a group of high school students on a summer art apprenticeship program led by textile artist Lauren Flaaen to the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Connecticut. It was organized by the Ely Center of Contemporary Art.
As a textile artist myself, visiting the home that preserves the legacy of the legendary Anni Albers and her husband Josef Albers was truly special.
Who Were Anni and Josef Albers?
If you’re unfamiliar, Anni and Josef Albers were highly influential German-born American artists who shaped 20th-century art and design. They were known for their pioneering teaching at the Bauhaus School of Art and Design in Germany and Black Mountain College in North Carolina, both experimental schools which focused on art and design. For that time period, this type of school was revolutionary.
Josef Albers is celebrated for his paintings (notably Homage to the Square) and color theory, while Anni Albers is revered as one of the most important textile artists of the modern era. She is known for transforming weaving into fine art. Here you’ll find a short film on the Alberses.
A Hidden Gem in Southern Connecticut
The Albers Foundation is tucked away in a serene, wooded part of southern Connecticut. It’s the kind of quiet, remote place where GPS navigation often loses its way. So, I had to keep an offline copy of the directions on hand, just in case. The bright red barn-like building, nestled among the trees, felt like a true sanctuary for art and ideas. It felt like it was beckoning the visitor to come and explore.
Inside, the main gallery showcases works by both artists; Josef’s geometric paintings and Anni’s textural drawings and embossed works. I was struck by a detail our guide shared. While Josef created over 1,200 paintings in his lifetime, Anni only created around 60 textile artworks, plus some countless designs and functional pieces. This alone reminds us how labor-intensive and time-consuming textile art truly is. While an artist creating in another medium may produce multiple objects in a couple of weeks, a textile artist requires a long time to create a single piece.
The Archives Reveal the Depth of Anni Albers’ Textile Art
Moving along, we spent most of our visit in the archives room, guided by the knowledgeable curators Amy Jean Porter and Karis Medina. There, I saw Anni’s very first weaving. It’s a large piece she created on a 7-foot loom which she brought with her to America from Germany.
I was curious. How can they keep this early weaving in such pristine condition after so many decades? When it comes to conservation of textile art, light is its greatest enemy, explained Karis. So, what they do at the foundation is to cover the weaving with drapery whenever it’s not on display.
Jewelry by Anni Albers
Never Miss a Thing
Anni Albers: Material Innovator
I loved learning that Anni was deeply devoted to materials. She famously said she started every piece of work with “stuff.” Nothing was off-limits: metal washers, hairpins, ribbons — she turned everyday objects into art and jewelry, especially during times when materials were scarce.
I even got to try my hand at making a necklace using a kit inspired by her designs. Once transformed, these everyday items stopped looking like hardware and became wearable art.
Working Creatively, Thinking Freely
Anni Albers didn’t just experiment with materials, she innovated processes too. She found ways to work more efficiently, yet she didn’t keep detailed notebooks or instructions. Many artists are meticulous about recording their process, but Anni wasn’t one of them. As someone who journals but rarely documents my art process step by step, I felt a real kinship with Anni’s approach.
Storytelling Through Thread
One of my favorite moments was learning how Anni’s travels to Mexico influenced how she came to think about textiles as a form of storytelling. She came to understand how thread could convey narrative. The Spanish words narración and trama mean both plot (as in a story) and weft (as in weaving).
On the tables in the archives, we saw what Anni called her pictorial weavings. Each one was mounted like a painting. They were stretched on fabric and then wrapped around plywood and stapled to the back. Then, they were displayed in glass frames. At a time when textile-based works were undervalued, Anni boldly framed hers as fine art. She knew exactly what she was doing. She was pushing the perception of textiles into the “direction of art.” And that was a theme she intentionally and consistently pursued throughout her career. Today, framing textiles behind glass is still a method contemporary artists use to not only preserve their textile pieces, but also help the viewer see beyond the materials to appreciate the art.
Connections with Ruth Asawa and Sheila Hicks
Another highlight was learning how the Alberses influenced other groundbreaking textile artists.
Ruth Asawa, who studied under Josef at Black Mountain College, became a lifelong friend of the Alberses. They exchanged letters throughout their lifetimes. After Anni’s passing, Ruth donated 70 of her drawings which she’d made while studying at Black Mountain College, to the foundation.
Sheila Hicks, another textile art pioneer, was once Josef’s painting student at Yale University. At Yale, he was the head of the department of design. When Josef saw Hicks experimenting with thread in a hallway, he invited her home to meet his wife, Anni. Anni then went ahead and taught Hicks to weave. Hicks’ path led her to South America, where her fascination with fiber arts deepened. Today, at age 91, Hicks remains one of the most important living textile artists. Recently she was commissioned to create a permanent art installation for the Jack C. Taylor Music Center in St. Louis, MO. The site-specific work will be displayed inside the main entrance of the new, Snøhetta-designed lobby.
A Quiet Inspiration
After exploring the archives, we lingered in the library and research spaces. Then, we sat outside to enjoy the peaceful breeze beneath the towering trees. Hidden among the foliage is a pond and two charming cottages for resident artists. Yes, the foundation has an artist residency. It’s also a reminder that the Albers Foundation continues to support experimental art practices today.
My biggest takeaway from this inspiring visit? I walked away with Anni Albers’ fearless commitment to experimentation. She wove with metal, plastic, washers, hairpins; just about anything at hand. Her work is a powerful reminder for all of us in the textile arts. She points us to the fact that the boundaries in textile arts are to be pushed.
One trip. Three trailblazers. Countless new ideas to carry forward.
Thank you, Albers Foundation.
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