Evelyn and Jerry Ackerman Mid-century dynamic design duo. Part 3

Welcome back to part 3 of my three part posting on the wonderful work of Evelyn and Jerry Ackerman. If you missed part 2 it’s here, and part 1 you can find here. This final post revealing the stylish work of the Ackerman’s, shows their creative imagery through Mosaics.

In the mid 1950s the Ackermans visited San Francisco and saw an exhibition that included mosaics. Interested in exploring the medium, they developed mosaic wall panels and tables with mosaic tops that featured both abstract and figural motifs.

In order to increase production and allow Evelyn to focus on design, they established a mosaic workshop in Mexico. Evelyn created each design and sent a full-size drawing with colours and numbers corresponding to a sample tile board. At the workshop in Mexico, the design was then transferred onto a masonite backing to which the tile was glued, and finished with a simple wood frame.

In 1956 business associate Sherrill Broudy planned an apartment building in West Los Angeles on Kiowa Street. He asked Evelyn to design and produce a mosaic mural for the exterior. Because of its size (16´ x 32´), Fantasy Landscape was made in sections in the Los Angeles Jenev studio. The mural was featured in an article in the Los Angeles Times Home magazine and is registered with the L.A. Mural Conservancy. Evelyn designed a second mosaic mural, Sea, Land, and Sky, in 1957 for a Louis Mazzeti office building in Santa Barbara on Victoria Street, which was executed at ERA’s atelier in Mexico.

I love the fact that even through Mosaics, the Ackerman’s still manage to have their own distictive style.

I hope you have enjoyed these posts on this engaging couple. Please share my blog with your friends and remember to leave a hello or a comment from time to time. Happy Day Craig ! x