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I n 1949, Bauhaus–trained Anni Albers became the first textile designer to have a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. A remarkable achievement during an era when women were rarely rewarded for their artistic prowess, the show helped establish Albers as one of the most important designers of the day. But her road to success hadn't been easy. Albers enrolled at the Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany, in 1922. She expected to pursue some of its more progressive workshops, including glassmaking, which would allow her to work with exciting new materials such as Plexiglas. Instead, she was nudged into a weaving workshop known as "the women's class," where she took her place at the loom. Albers made the most of her situation, eventually becoming head of the weaving department. She experimented with cutting-edge materials, producing functional and beautiful textiles that incorporated light reflection, sound absorption, and durability — all advanced concepts for the era. She married fellow Bauhaus student Josef Albers, who was also destined to become a famous artist and educator. The two fled Germany before World War II, arriving in North Carolina to teach at the experimental Black Mountain College in Asheville. Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius, who moved to America to teach at Harvard Graduate School of Design, commissioned the up-and-coming Anni to design textiles for the university. She published numerous articles on design, and her weavings were shown in museums across the country, including the 1949 MoMA exhibit. Throughout the 1950s, she gained renown for her innovations, producing textiles from such unconventional materials as cellophane, Lurex, and metallics, which she wove with natural jute and linen yarns. The Alberses made trips to Mexico, where their circle included muralist Diego Rivera and architect Luis Barragán, both destined to become leaders of the modernist movement. Anni picked apart ancient fragments to understand their structure and used traditional techniques in her weavings. Always an innovator, BY REBECCA SHERMAN FROM BAUHAUS TO GOD's HOUSE MORE THAN 60 YEARS AFTER HER DAZZLING ARK PANELS MADE ARTISTIC ENTRÉE AT TEMPLE EMANU-EL, GERMAN TEXTILE ARTIST ANNI ALBERS RETURNS — THIS TIME, BY WAY OF LONDON-BASED DESIGN STUDIO CHRISTOPHER FARR CLOTH AND ITS NEW FABRIC COLLECTION BASED ON ALBERS' ORIGINAL DESIGNS. Anni Albers in Europe, circa 1930–33. PHOTO BY JOSEF ALBERS © 2019 THE JOSEF AND ANNI ALBERS FOUNDATION/ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK. 62